I've heard that doctors have come up with a new drug that magically declogs our arteries. Does that mean I'm now free to have a McGriddle for breakfast, a Big Bacon Classic for lunch, and a P'Zone for dinner as long as I pop a pill the morning after?

Not so fast. Cholesterol drugs like Lipitor are already on the market, but you can't just order a Big Mac and spread Lipitor on it.

That said, the breakthrough you're talking about is cause for optimism. About twenty years ago, researchers began studying a small group of Italians who have abnormally low levels of HDL, the high-density lipoproteins that pull plaque from your artery walls. With average HDL levels below 30, these folks should have been dying. But they remained healthy because they have an unusual protein on top of their HDL that turbocharges its plaque-removing ability. Doctors then produced a synthetic version — imagine Drano for the blood vessels — and tested it on heart-disease patients. Over five weeks, the test subjects reduced their plaque by 4 percent — a significant result.

Unfortunately, the drug won't be on the market for several years. Until then, do this: 1) If you're forty or older, take an aspirin every day. 2) Exercise. Your HDL increases by a tenth of a point for every mile you run per week. 3) Go easy on the chalupas.

Dr. Mehmet Oz is a heart surgeon and the host of Second Opinion on the Discovery Channel. To ask him a question, go to esquire.com/talk.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pr%2FQrqCrnV6YvK57y6Kdnqukrrmme8eemKWsmGSupcLInJxomWJqhXF7xKyoaWtgabGzu9lo