Beta-blocker slows clogging of arteries

Blood pressure drugs, beta-blockers, help in slowing down the clogging of arteries, and may prevent heart attack and sudden death. Beta-blockers act by blocking the action of message-carrying chemicals, such as epinephrine, adrenaline and norepinephrine, involved in stress. They regulate heart rate but can often cause fuzzy thinking and sexual dysfunction in men. Beta-blockers are cheap and generically available, although studies show they are not prescribed as often as recommended. Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio pooled the results of four trials involving 1,500 patients to see if beta-blockers help slow the clogging of arteries. About 1,100 of the patients took beta-blockers. Most of the patients also got a cocktail of heart drugs including aspirin, ACE inhibitors, calcium-channel blockers, nitrates and lipid lowering statins. Part of the study involved teasing out the effects of the beta-blockers versus the other drugs. At the beginning, the patients given beta-blockers had similarly clogged arteries as those not given the drugs. But when the patients were followed up, those given beta-blockers had lesser blockages, while those who did not get these drugs did not show any change. The results showed that the statins also helped clean out arteries, but the beta-blockers had the effect independent of statin use. Beta-blockers probably slow down the progression of coronary atherosclerosis. This finding contradicted the usual belief that beta-blockers are not designed to affect the cholesterol and inflammation that are usually blamed for causing atherosclerosis, or clogged arteries. However, the truth is that they can worsen some type of cholesterol measurements, lowering HDL or "good" cholesterol and raising triglyceride levels. The findings thus support the continued use of beta-blockers.