Besides these risk factors “genetic predisposition and congenital defects, hypertension, smoking, alcohol intake, hyperlipidemia, aging, co-incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM), and physical inactivity” I’ve seen that a diet of processed food contributes to the development of this imbalance. Research done 40 years ago shows a higher incidence of atherosclerosis in those who drink homogenized milk and explained the biochemistry of how that happens.