In 2000 I had a heart attack, quickly went to the emergency room, surgery put in two stints. In 2019, after changing my diet and some mild exercise my veins are clear of plaque as evinced by an angeogram. The doctor ran a camera in to my arm at the left elbow, threaded it through my heart, into my leg as far as the knee; there was no plaque. Diet works to prevent plaque that can cause many things, including heart attack and strokes.