In mice with fatty artery buildup, a quick burst of stress (like cold, a toxin, and a blood pressure drug) caused 3 out of 4 fragile plaques to burst, but only if the plaque was already weak — strong plaques didn’t break.

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Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

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Th17 cells and IL-17 are involved in the disruption of vulnerable plaques triggered by short-term combination stimulation in apolipoprotein E-knockout mice

Cohort Study

Animal

2013 Jul

Scientists made mice with clogged arteries and stressed them with cold, a toxin, and a drug — and 75% of the weak plaques broke open, but the strong ones didn’t. This shows that both weak plaques and sudden stress are needed to cause a rupture.

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No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

Th17 cells and IL-17 are involved in the disruption of vulnerable plaques triggered by short-term combination stimulation in apolipoprotein E-knockout mice

Score: 17

DOI: 10.1038/cmi.2013.4

Similar Assertions

The mice lost a little weight from the stress, but not more than they did from just eating a fatty diet — so the plaque bursts weren’t caused by extreme sickness or starvation.

89%

Even though the mice had fatty plaques and they burst, their blood fat levels didn’t change — meaning the rupture wasn’t caused by worse cholesterol, but by something else, like immune activity.

81%

Before the plaque actually burst, 8 out of 10 had bleeding inside them — meaning bleeding happens before the cap breaks, and might be a warning sign.

71%