as for my 30-40% blockage i had, i was a vegetarian from 1992-2010. cardiologist and 2 other doctors told me 85% of the cholesterol created in the body comes from CARBS!!!!!
i went to a meat diet, about a year before i had the open heart and the heart attack 3 months later. but my cholesterol was lower after eating meat then when i did none. as to the "widowmaker", which is what i had, that happens more suddenly then other blockages. something in the body triggers the build up of plaque in the blood stream and it tends to block a 90 degree turn in the left artery. the survivalrate for people who have this is 10%!!!!!! this is the same thing that TIM RUSSERT died from. the 2nd by pass the did on me was the "left anterior descending artery." this one is located right on the heart and feeds the left ventricle. they didnt see this one tull they was in there fixing the "widowmaker." now this is the bad one. having this one blocked also is a short term happening, has nothing to do with food, or lifestyle. the left anterior blockage is the one that happens to people who eat right, exercise and one day they are walking along and hit the floor and are dead. the amount of people who have this and survive are 1%!!!!!
i was blessed/lucky/forunate to have the doctors find the 2nd one while fixing the more obvious one. the heart attack i had april 17, was a culmination of me NOT TAKING MY MED, as i was told to, getting upset, and since they just did the open heart 3 months earlier, the viens still had not opened completly from the sutures. all of it combined caused the heart to beat till it couldnt keep up. BAM!!!!!! i went down.
as for diet, i belive a higher vegetable/plant based food intake is better for your heart.
if you do meat, then fish, chicken turkey the leaner the better is your best choices. red meats...........should be treated like ICE CREAM))))) most doctor call it a heat attack in box. CARBS are where you get in trouble. there are SIMPLY CARBS, mainly white stuff, sugar,rice, flour, dairy, potatoes and fast food places, ESPECIALLY THOSE WONDERFUL FRECH FRIES!!!! COMPLEX CARBS ARE GREAT. but most wont or dont like them. Cruciferous vegetables contain ANTIOXIDANTS (BETA CAROTENE and the compound sulforaphane). These vegetables, which are all high in fiber, vitamins and minerals, are: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, chard, kale, mustard greens, rutabagas and turnips. EAT PLENTY OF THESE.