Doctors found the best evidence yet that heart disease can be reversed, and not just kept from getting worse. This evidence was provided by a study in which people saw their "bad cholesterol" reduced to the lowest levels ever seen and their blockages of the blood vessel shrunk. The data was seen in a study of 349 patients taking the highest recommended dosage of 40 milligrams of Crestor, four times than the starting dose of 10 milligrams. Crestor is currently the strongest of the cholesterol-lowering statin drugs on the market, though a consumer group stated that the drug has more side effects than its competitors. Dr. Steven Nissen, the Cleveland Clinic cardiologist who led the research said that this study shows a way to reverse the disease. Crestor reduced the buildup of fat, calcium and other deposits in patients' arteries by as much as 6.8%. It also reduced the cholesterol level in the blood by 52.2%, to 60.8 milligrams per deciliter of blood. The amount of good cholesterol rose by 15%. "To my knowledge, this is the lowest cholesterol level that's ever been seen. Traditional thinking has viewed atherosclerosis as an inexorably progressive disease for which even the most active therapies can merely slow advancement. The current study suggests that there is potential for a more optimistic strategy, in which aggressive cholesterol-lowering treatments can reverse the disease," Nissen added. However, about 20% of them had an increased build up of plaque. This risk could be worth it for many patients in early stages of atherosclerosis.