NHS Dudley Wood Surgery

Heart disease was long considered a condition where medication could only slow down future artery blockages rather than undo existing damage. A clinical trial published in JAMA Cardiology now shows that aggressive cholesterol-lowering treatment can actively reverse plaque buildup across the heart's entire blood vessel network. Researchers led by Martin Bødtker Mortensen tracked 104 newly diagnosed heart patients over 18 months using detailed 3D heart scans. Patients who took a powerful two-drug combination of rosuvastatin and ezetimibe slashed their bad cholesterol by 65 percent, shrinking their total artery plaque by more than 21 percent. Most impressively, the soft, fatty deposits - the unstable kind most likely to rupture and cause a sudden heart attack - dropped by 28 percent. Nearly every patient on the dual therapy saw this dangerous soft plaque retreat, leaving the remaining artery walls firmer and much more stable. Starting early with a strong combination of standard, widely available medications does far more than just protect the heart from future harm. It actively clears out vulnerable fatty buildup and helps restore healthier arteries without relying solely on invasive procedures. Paper reference: Martin Bødtker Mortensen et al., Intensive vs More Intensive Lipid-Lowering Therapy and Plaque Regression in Statin-Naive Patients, JAMA Cardiology (2026). DOI: 10.1001/jamacardio.2026.4788