References

Wikipedia: Atherosclerosis

"Atherosclerosis, formerly considered a bland lipid storage disease, actually involves an ongoing inflammatory response. ...a fundamental role for inflammation in mediating all stages of this disease from initiation through progression and, ultimately, the thrombotic complications of atherosclerosis ... Elevation in markers of inflammation predicts outcomes of patients with acute coronary syndromes, independently of myocardial damage. In addition, low-grade chronic inflammation, as indicated by levels of the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein, prospectively defines risk of atherosclerotic complications" Libby, P. (2002). Inflammation and Atherosclerosis. Circulation, 105(9), 1135–1143. doi:10.1161/hc0902.104353

"The plumbing model...perpetuates misconceptions about fat consumption. Although...plaques contain lipids, they are not composed of fat directly from the diet...Although saturated fat increases [LDL], it also increases [HDL] so the net effect on cardiac risk is neutral..." Rothberg, M. B. (2013). Coronary artery disease as clogged pipes: a misconceptual model. Circulation. Cardiovascular quality and outcomes, 6(1), 129–32. doi:10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.112.967778