Protecting Those Who Protect Us: The Urgent Heart Health Crisis in Law Enforcement

As you all know, I may have founded Step One Foods, but I’m still a practicing cardiologist involved in patient care. A couple of years ago, I was asked to help with a worksite wellness initiative which included cardiometabolic health screens on law enforcement professionals.  As I began looking through the data that was coming across my desk, I started seeing a disturbing pattern.  And I knew that what I was observing had to be shared with the larger medical community.

Last week, at the American College of Cardiology’s annual meeting in New Orleans, I presented my groundbreaking research that shines a light on a staggering health disparity: Law enforcement professionals (LEPs) are facing heart disease risks years—and even decades—earlier than the rest of us.

The Silent Threat Behind the Badge

We often think of the primary dangers of police work as external threats. However, the statistics tell a different story. Officers are 25 times more likely to suffer death or disability from heart disease than from the violent actions of a suspect. And while the average age for a heart attack in the general population is 67, for law enforcement, that number plummets to just 49 years of age. 

We have all probably heard of an officer passing away ahead of their time. These types of unexpected events typically make local news.  Most of us just notch it up to bad luck and feel sorry for their family.  Turns out, those tragedies could have been predicted – and avoided.

What the Data Revealed 

Our analysis, which included nearly 500 Minnesota-based officers between 2023 and 2025, looked at how heart disease risk evolves over a career. The findings were a wake-up call:

• Early Onset: Even officers in their 20s and 30s show high risk-factor burdens.

• Rapid Decline: By the time officers reach the 40–49 age bracket, markers like BMI, blood sugar (A1c), and "bad" cholesterol (LDL and ApoB) skyrocket compared to their younger colleagues.

• Arterial Damage: Officers over the age of 30 showed significantly higher-than-expected Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) scores—a direct sign of plaque buildup in the arteries.

• Universal Hypertension: Every single age group studied displayed abnormal average blood pressure readings.

It was the CAC scores that made me sit up and take notice in the first place.  I was seeing results I was not accustomed to seeing.  

Here’s the thing: NO ONE should have ANY calcium in their heart arteries in their 30s or 40s. Meaning, their CAC score should be 0. In our data set 1 in 8 officers in their 30s and 1 in 4 officers in their 40s had scores over 0.  What’s more, it wasn’t a little calcium.  Scores over 100 are considered worrisome.  Highest score in 30–39-year-olds?  896. Highest score in 40–49-year-olds? 1502. The highest score I’ve ever seen on one of my patients? 2217. The highest score seen in the officer group? 5159. More than double!

No wonder law enforcement professionals are dying ahead of their time.  They are developing disproportionately advanced heart disease way ahead of their time. 

Why the Career is the Catalyst

The data suggests that the progression of heart disease is tied to the duration of work exposure. Between high-stress environments, irregular sleep patterns, and the difficulty of finding healthy meals while on patrol, the "work-related health disparity" is quantifiable.  And current preventive strategies simply aren't keeping pace with the unique pressures of the job. 

This data tells us that there is a significant gap in screening and treatment of our essential workers.  Law enforcement professionals risk their lives for us every single day. They shouldn’t also have to risk their health.

An Actionable Path Forward

While the findings are sobering, they also provide a roadmap for change. Here is what I think is required moving forward:

1. Earlier Screening: Moving beyond basic physicals to include in-depth risk assessments and CAC testing earlier in an officer's career.

2. Aggressive Intervention: Treating risk factors before they become catastrophic events.

3. Nutrition First: Impacting stress and sleep is not straightforward. But dietary improvement is immediately actionable.  Plus, as you all know, it impacts multiple risk factors all at once.  

We hope our work spurs on a change in how we take care of our first responders.  The all deserve health care – and nutrition – that works as hard as they do.

Do you have a hero in your life? Help us spread the word about this research. Many first responders are unaware of the degree of their risk - or that they may need to advocate for themselves to receive more in depth screening.  The truth (and tragedy) is that their number one killer is avoidable.