A study conducted on about 140 people stated that diet could reduce the fatty build up in arteries.

Israeli researchers stated that Mediterranean, low-fat and low-carbohydrate diets being less in fat content and more in fruits and vegetables were effective in reversing blocked arteries.

To see if natural part of aging can be reversed with diet, the authors of this Israeli study, which was carried out in collaboration with researchers in the US, Canada and Germany, started a research.

Volunteers were put on one of the diets for two years.

Researchers measured the volume of the wall of the carotid artery, the large artery in the neck which takes blood up to the brain, using three-dimensional imaging. They did this when the study started and after it completed.

Lead researcher Iris Shai said, "It was very interesting to see that these very different diets had a similar effect. Some people suggest that low-carbohydrate diets are more likely to clog arteries, but we did not see that."

Dr Charles Knight, secretary of the British Cardiovascular Society and a consultant cardiologist said the results were very interesting. It did not however show how many people eventually had heart attacks or strokes.