What are the best nutrients to remove plaque from arteries?

Plaque is made of cholesterol, calcium, and protein. These 3 ingredients form a band-aid if you have inflammation or other issues on the inside of your artery.

There are 2 types of plaque: soft plaque (unstable, dangerous) and hard plaque (calcified, stable, less dangerous). Soft plaque is 4 times as common as calcified plaque! A CAC test gives you a score of how much plaque you have in your arteries. This test primarily detects calcified plaque, so the score usually won’t reflect soft plaque.

The CAC paradox is a phenomenon that occurs after you clean up your diet and get healthy, but your CAC score rises. This doesn't mean your plaque is getting worse. It means that some of your soft plaque has stabilized and become hard plaque. Soft plaque is associated with glycation and more oxidation of the LDL. There are 2 types of LDL: small-dense pathogenic LDL and large-buoyant non-pathogenic LDL.

Myeloperoxidase and Lp-PLA2 both signify soft plaque on a blood test. An ultrasound can also detect soft plaque. Higher HDL can help clean up pathogenic bad LDL. You also want to keep your triglycerides low. High triglycerides can signify that your diet is too high in carbs. You may want to request to test your lipoprotein insulin resistance. This factor is associated with cardiovascular atherosclerosis more than any other.

Here’s how to determine whether you have small dense LDL or large buoyant LDL. Divide the LDL by ApoB—the part of the lipoprotein that indicates the number of particles. You want your result to be greater than 1.2. This indicates large buoyant LDL.

The following nutrients may help remove arterial plaque buildup naturally:

1. Pycnogenol–150 mg

2. Gotu Kola–450 mg

3. Vitamin K2–Life Extension Mega K2

4. Nattokinase

5. Niacin

Vitamin K2 is the most potent inhibitor of vascular calcification. Tocotrienols, berberine, aged garlic, magnesium, potassium, and vitamin D also help to clean out plaque naturally.