This buildup of plaques is known as atherosclerosis.

CNN: Acute coronary syndrome

Although some of the deaths occurred in people with underlying diseases such as atherosclerosis (and therefore could have been coincidental), government researchers who examined otherwise healthy dieters who died of ventricular arrhythmias found that the pattern of deaths suggested "the effects of protein-calorie malnutrition on the heart, " including atrophy of the heart muscle.

CNN: How crash diets harm your health

Heart disease due to atherosclerosis, also known as hardening of the arteries, is a critical problem for children with progeria.

CNN: Advances in kids' early aging disease

Ultimately, researchers envision shots to stave off chronic diseases such as cancer and atherosclerosis.

FORBES: Booster Shot

Applying antibiotics, as has been done for atherosclerosis and arthritis, is the obvious experiment.

ECONOMIST: Bugged by disease

Meanwhile, Dr. Allayee at USC plans to begin a 200-patient clinical trial testing whether leukotriene blockers like Singulair can prevent atherosclerosis in high-risk patients, as soon as he can obtain government funding.

FORBES: Prevention Puzzle

But evidence of the inflammation connection has been slowly building for two decades as researchers probed the causes of atherosclerosis, the buildup of fatty gunk in vessel walls.

FORBES: Attacking Heart Attacks

If ENHANCE had been positive, it would have allowed Merck and Schering-Plough to get a marketing claim for atherosclerosis from the Food and Drug Administration, as AstraZeneca's Crestor has.

FORBES: Magazine Article

As might be expected, service members with atherosclerosis were older and more likely to have dyslipidemia, hypertension, or obesity than service members without atherosclerosis.

FORBES: Autopsy Studies Find Large And Dramatic Drop In Early Atherosclerosis Over 60 Years