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ardiovascular disease (CVD) is a global epidemic that is the leading cause of death worldwide (17 million deaths per year) [8]. It is the single largest contributor to “disability adjusted life years” (DALYs): 10 % of DALYs in low- and middle-income nations and 18 % of DALYs in high-income nations. Hence, the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control agree that CVD is no longer an epidemic but a pandemic. In the United States, CVD accounted for 38 % of all deaths in 2002 [7] and was the primary or contributing cause in 60 % of all deaths. Coronary heart disease (CHD) accounts for more than half of CVD deaths (roughly 7.2 million deaths worldwide every year, and one of every five deaths in the United States), and it is the single largest killer in the world. It is well known that early detection (along with prevention