Originally Posted by lwik

… So if I continue to have the same diet but I added lots of biking like I have done, would the faster pumping of blood and a heart working harder start to break down the build up, or must the diet also change. I do realize that both would be preferred but I was just wondering if just exercise would / could reverse since you get the blood flowing.

… .

No, not really. But that is not the right question to ask.

I think a better question would be: “Does cycling improve cardiovascular health and well being?” ANd the answer to that is YES!

Heart health depends on a number of different factors — not only the well publicized cholesterol loaded plaque that clogs arteries. Other known factors that affect the health of the heart just as much are:
— Inflammation
— Endothelial function
— Nitric Oxide production
— Calcification
— Electrical competency
— the strength of the cardiac muscle fibers
— the ability of the lungs to oxygenate the blood
— and more… lot more ….

Cycling improves things like:
HDL — which does help to clear the cholesterol out of the plaques clogging the arteries
Endothelial function — which makes the lining of the arteries work better
Reduce Blood pressure — which reduces stess on the endothelial lining
Increase Nitric Oxide — which makes the endothelial lining more slippery, the arteries to relax and the blood less likely to clot.
decreases stress — which reduces cortisol (which can make it more likely that cholesterol bulds up in your arteries.)
improves cardiac reserve — so you have enough cardiac power to handle getting up a flight of steps…

So, cycling does not do a lot to clear clogged arteries — but it does do a lot to improve cardiac health.

And, those things are as important as cholesterol. Half of all heart attacks occur in people with “normal” cholesterol. Today, cardiologists are increasingly recognizing that cholesterol is only one of the factors that cause heart attacks.

But, as you and others have pointed out: Cycling is not a cure all — it is one piece of the things you need to do in order to be health. Cycling will do its part — but it can’t do it all…