For LDL particles, size of course does not make the difference between eating or being eaten. It determines whether LDL particles will accumulate in the walls of arteries, such as those of your heart (coronary arteries) or neck and brain (carotid and cerebral arteries)—or not. In short, LDL size determines to a large degree whether you will have a heart attack or stroke at age fifty-seven or whether you’ll continue to pull the handle on casino slot machines at age eighty-seven.