There was a recent review article in the journal Nature on May 19th that did a great job explaining how the various biochemicals affect the endothelium (cells lining the blood vessels) and cause atheroschlerosis (plaque buildup). It's online at

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v4 ... 10146.html

or you can find it at a college library. It's a bit technical, but not too hard to understand (at about the level of a Scientific American article). Perhaps Dr. Graveline would interpret it for the rest of us.