How to reduce blockage in arterias??

This is a question that has been post a number of times here. This is the reason why a want to share this paper that I just discovered:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19092644

It is an study on an small number of patients, but if I have read it properly,  most of them show improvements either reducing the plaque, or slowing its progress.

The trick seems to be a mixture of statins, Omega 3 and Vitamin D.

What do you think??

Jesus

[ed34]

So to summarize the report, they took 45 people with a calcium score of 50 or greater, but no symptoms. It is disappointing because it would be more interesting if they had symptoms, to see if they 'felt' the benefits.
Anyway, they were all given a regime of statins, niacin, omega-3 and vitamin D3 supplements.
After 18 months, 20 patients (44.4%) showed a decrease in their calcium score. The decrease is anywhere from 0-64% but no breakdown is given, only the mean which is 14.5%.
Do you think this is actually misleading? The first question which comes to my mind is that calcium scoring doesn't include soft plaque which hasn't calcified. How has that been affected, because it's the most dangerous plaque. Anyway, 22 (48.8) patients showed their progression of calcium buildup stopped or slowed down. How do we know? The research doesn't state how long these patients were monitored PRIOR to the supplements to gain a knowledge of individual annual growth rates. Obviously not everyone develops plaque at the same rate, so what are they comparing the results against exactly? The remaining 3 patients still had a high increase in plaque.
It also states that 'diet advice' was given but it doesn't say what this advice was. How much did the diet change affect the patients? were all the medications responsible or was it mostly the diet? Do you think the test was contaminated by this?

What I would like to see is a group of patients with one or more blockages of 70%, on the borderline for intervention, and seen with an Angiogram, put into such a test. However, tell them to carry on with their usual lifestyle so you know ONLY the supplements are having additional effect. Then see how their symptoms progress and backed up with ct or standard angiograms.