More pharma bull shit shot down by physical evidence. PLAQUE IS NOT MADE UP MAINLY OF CHOLESTEROL OR FATS.  Pictures of plaque for carotid arteries are frequently reproduced with major occlusion and the appearance of soft butter.  From the picture it looks like mainly cholesterol and fats, but the analysis proves that it is at most averages under 20% of the plaque for the symptomatic patients.  Asymptomatic plaque contained 88% of fibrous/collagen material, while symptomatic contained 66%. The predominant non-fibrous material was a pink amorphous material mixed with cholesterol, which composed 7% of asymptomatic and 27% of the symptomatic plaque.   The second article confirms this one.  This explains in part why cholesterol lowering is one of the top 3 scams by pharma.  Psychiatric drugs is their biggest.   

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0741521491903593    Journal of Vascular Surgery

Volume 13, Issue 5, May 1991, Pages 719–724

Histologic characteristics of carotid artery plaque

Abstract

Carotid plaque characteristics associated with the production of symptoms were identified with quantification of carotid plaque constituents in high-grade stenotic asymptomatic (n = 8) and symptomatic (n = 44) plaques. Asymptomatic plaques contained significantly more fibrous/collagen material (88%) than symptomatic plaques (66%) (p < 0.05). Hemorrhage [bleeding, discharged blood] constituted 2% and 1% of asymptomatic and symptomatic plaques, respectively. The predominant non-fibrous material was a pink amorphous material mixed with cholesterol, which composed 7% of asymptomatic and 27% of symptomatic plaques (p < 0.05). No relationship was found between plaque composition and the number of ipsilateral [affecting the same side of the body] ischemic neurologic events, nor was there evidence of a healing process. B-mode ultrasound scanning had a sensitivity of 94% in identifying plaque with > 80% fibrous content. We believe that plaque composition may be a useful discriminating factor in selecting asymptomatic patients for carotid endarterectomy.  (J  VASC SURG 1991;13:719-24.).

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/000291499090482G

Morphometric analysis of the composition of coronary arterial plaques in isolated unstable angina pectoris with pain at rest

Abstract

Coronary artery plaque morphology was studied in 354 five-mm segments of the 4 major (left main, left anterior descending, left circumflex and right) epicardial coronary arteries in 10 patients with isolated unstable angina pectoris with pain at rest. The 4 major coronary arteries were sectioned at 5mm intervals and a drawing of each of the resulting 354 Movat-stained histologic sections was analyzed using a computerized morphometry system. The major component of plaque was a combination of dense acellular and cellular fibrous tissue with much smaller portions of plaque being composed of pultaceous debris, calcium, foam cells with and without inflammatory infiltrates and inflammatory infiltrates without foam cells. There were no differences in plaque composition among any of the 4 major epicardial coronary arteries. Plaque composition varied as a function of the degree of luminal narrowing. Linear increases were observed in the mean percent of dense fibrous tissue (from 5 to 50%), calcific deposits (from 1 to 10%), pultaceous [resembling pulp] debris (from 0 to 10%) and inflammatory infiltrates without significant numbers of foam cells (from 0 to 5%), and a linear decrease was observed in the mean percent of cellular fibrous tissue (from 94 to 22%) in sections narrowed up to 25% to more than 95% in cross-sectional area. Multi-luminal channels were seen in all 10 patients (28 [19%] of the 146 sections narrowed >75% in cross-sectional area and in 36 [10%] of all 354 segments); occlusive thrombi in no patient; non-occlusive thrombi in 2 patients (1 section each of 2 arteries); plaque rupture in 2 patients (4 segments from 2 arteries); and plaque hemorrhages in 6 patients (11 sections from 10 arteries).