Foods That Reduce Plaque Buildup

Protect your heart with these foods.

Last week we covered the top foods to limit that promote plaque buildup in the arteries and increase the risk of heart disease. We also dug into the research around saturated fat to help you understand the effect that it actually has on cholesterol and heart disease risk since this has been a controversial topic for years.

Before we get into the foods and nutrients that reduce plaque formation, it’s important to ask: can plaques in the arteries be reversed?

The ultimate goal is to 1.) clear out any plaques that are already present in the arteries (pictured above in the bottom photos), and 2.) achieve and maintain healthy arteries without these fatty plaques so blood and oxygen can flow easily (first photo).

Let’s explore both of these concepts below.

1. Can Plaques Be Reversed?

It was previously thought that plaques cannot be removed/reversed once they build up in the arteries, but new research published in the American Journal of Medicine shows that atherosclerotic plaques are reversible.

This was observed through intravascular ultrasounds, a technique that uses sound waves to examine blood vessels from the inside to detect narrowing and blockages.

According to the research article, “reversal requires control of all major cardiovascular risk factors, including smoking, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia.”

In other words, cessation of smoking, achieving normal blood pressure of 120/80, managing blood sugars, and achieving optimal cholesterol levels (both LDL and HDL) are all required to reverse plaques in the arteries (all of which are achieved through diet and lifestyle).

Lowering LDL cholesterol is one of the most critical factors in order to reverse plaque buildup in the arteries. As quoted in the above research article, “aggressive lowering of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is paramount because the lower the LDL cholesterol, the better the outcome.”

They found that stabilization of the atherosclerotic plaque occurs within 30 days of cholesterol-lowering therapy, and initial plaque reversal is demonstrable within 1 or 2 years thereafter.

Another study evaluated the effect of diet on a patient’s weight and plaque volume after suffering from a myocardial infarction and being diagnosed with coronary artery disease. After 12 weeks of following the dietary intervention plus daily walks and low-impact aerobic exercise, the patient had significant improvements in total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol (pictured below).

In addition, the patient’s weight was reduced by 12%, and total plaque volume was reduced by almost 52%. He also had reductions in blood sugar (from 105 mg/dL to 68 mg/dL) and blood pressure (from 137/96 mmHg to 125/86 mmHg).

His triglyceride-to-HDL ratio was also cut in half, from 4.1 at baseline to 2.2 after 12 weeks. As mentioned a couple weeks ago in this post, the triglyceride-to-HDL ratio is one of the best indicators of your risk of heart disease, with the ideal ratio being 2.0 or less, whereas a ratio of 5.0 increases the risk for cardiovascular events significantly.

Due to these improvements, the patient had “almost 100% reduction in prescribed medicines.”

This shows that arterial plaques are at least partially reversible through diet and lifestyle, allowing the plaques to stabilize and reduce in size.

Let’s take a look at the specific dietary strategies that make this possible.

2. How to Prevent Plaque Formation & Maintain Healthy Arteries

Now that we know plaques can be reversed, let's take a look at specific foods and nutrients to emphasize that reduce plaque formation and the risk of heart disease. These foods will ultimately help you maintain healthy arteries that are free from fatty plaques.