Can You Reverse Heart Disease? What My Plaque Scans Showed | Dr Campbell Rogers

In late 2024 a CT scan revealed a small amount of soft plaque in my arteries. Sixteen months later I scanned again, and my plaque volume had dropped by around forty percent. In this episode I ask the cardiologist behind the technology whether a result like that can really be trusted. Dr Campbell Rogers is an interventional cardiologist, a former Harvard faculty member who ran the cath lab at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and now Chief Medical Officer at Heartflow. What we cover: The difference between a calcium score, a CT coronary angiogram, and AI plaque analysis Why a calcium score of zero does not mean you are free of disease What my own scans showed, and why Campbell believes the result Soft versus calcified plaque, and why calcification can be a sign of stabilisation Treating the plaque you can see rather than just an ApoB number Who should consider getting scanned, and the honest trade-offs This is a conversation about seeing a disease we used to only guess at, held with the right amount of scientific humility. If you want to understand your own heart health, I think it is well worth your time. If you enjoy the show, please take a moment to rate and review The Proof on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It genuinely helps more people find these conversations. To connect with Dr Campbell Rogers, visit Heartflow. How Campbell Rogers went from cardiologist to Heartflow (00:00) What Heartflow is and how it works (07:26) Coronary CT angiogram vs. stress test (11:54) Why symptoms alone miss early heart disease (13:18) How Heartflow analyzes CT scans in 90 minutes (15:58) Calcified vs. non-calcified plaque: which is riskier (21:28) Why calcium score zero doesn't mean no heart disease (28:45) Who should get a CT angiogram with AI plaque analysis (31:09) Why seeing your plaque improves medication adherence (34:04) Simon's 2024 Heartflow scan results (39:12) How plaque rupture triggers a heart attack (43:25) Simon's 2026 Heartflow scan: 40% plaque reduction in 16 months (45:43) How long to wait between CT scans (51:14) Heartflow vs. Cleerly vs. QAngio (53:12) How Heartflow results led Simon to start statins (58:21) JAMA study: Heartflow tracks plaque in prostate cancer patients (1:00:10) What is low attenuation plaque and why it's high risk (1:02:53) Who should ask their doctor about a coronary CT angiogram (1:07:37) Want to support the show? The best way to support the show is to use the products and services offered by our sponsors. To check them out and enjoy great savings, visit theproof.com/friends. You can also support the show by leaving a review on the Apple Podcast app and sharing your favourite episodes with friends and family. We'd love your feedback. Complete our quick 2-minute audience survey to help us better understand what content, topics, and guests you enjoy most. Take the survey at voicingchange.media/simon. This episode is brought to you by: 38TERA Consider 38TERA's DMN prebiotic supplement a daily multivitamin for your gut. Formulated by yours truly and gastroenterologist Dr Will Bulsiewicz. Use code THEPROOF for a discount at checkout. 38Tera ships to the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. Eight Sleep Upgrade your sleep with the Pod 5 Ultra by Eight Sleep. Clinically validated to deliver up to 1 extra hour of quality sleep per night through temperature control and biometric tracking. Use code THEPROOF at eightsleep.com/theproof for up to $500 off. The 4th of July sale ends July 12, and you get 30 days to try it at home and return it if you don't love it. Eight Sleep ships to the U.S. (excluding Alaska, Hawaii, and territories), Canada, Mexico, most of the EU, the U.K., Australia, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Switzerland. LMNT Stay hydrated with LMNT. Get a free Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular drink mix flavours with any purchase at DrinkLMNT.com/SIMON Find your favourite LMNT flavour, or share with a friend. And if you don’t like it? Full refund, no questions asked. LMNT ships to the U.S. and Canada, with sparkling flavors available only in the contiguous U.S. Shopify Shopify, the world's leading e-commerce platform, helps you turn browsers into buyers with the internet’s best-converting check out–up to 36% better compared to other leading e-commerce platforms. To boost your conversion rate, and grow your business, sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial at shopify.com/proof. Momentous My go-to supplement brand for protein and creatine is Momentous. Use code THEPROOF for up to 35% off your first order at livemomentous.com. Momentous ships to many countries worldwide depending on local import regulations. WHOOP Whoop, the most advanced fitness and health wearable available. Your personalised fitness and health coach to recover faster, sleep better, and train smarter. Claim your first month free on join.whoop.com/simon. Whoop ships to 56+ international markets, including the US, Canada, most of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, UAE, Singapore, and parts of Asia. Simon Hill, MSc, BSc (Hons) Creator of theproof.com Host of The Proof with Simon Hill Author of The Proof is in the Plants Subscribe & Connect: YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Instagram: @simonhill Twitter: @theproof Facebook: The Proof with Simon Hill Nourish your gut with my Plant-Based Ferments Guide and download my Two-Week Meal Plan.