They tested whether aggressively lowering bad cholesterol in newly diagnosed patients using cholesterol-lowering statins can shrink and reverse plaque buildup in heart arteries. Over an 18-month treatment period, participants either took atorvastatin 40 mg daily, a standard high-dose statin, or rosuvastatin 40 mg plus ezetimibe 10 mg daily, a stronger statin combined with a medicine that blocks cholesterol absorption in the gut.

Plaque buildup in the heart's arteries isn't necessarily a point of no return because bringing cholesterol levels down aggressively can actually make existing plaques shrink. With combination therapy, 90% of patients saw their plaque volume decrease, compared with 75% on standard treatment. The findings are published in JAMA Cardiology.

Testing the limit of statins

Lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), also known as bad cholesterol, is a primary target of many drugs that target fat buildup in arteries. Several clinical trials have linked every 38.6 mg/dL drop in LDL with a 22% reduction in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or atherosclerosis, and a 25%–30% reduction in coronary artery disease.