Reversing Heart Disease – It’s Doable By Diet…It’s Up To You! – An Interview with Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr, MD

Kirk’s video overview of his interview with Dr. Esselstyn (4:43)
How Do You Create A Successful Heart Disease Reversal Program That Anyone Can Do? (40:59 minutes)
Heart disease is a proven reversible disease by a whole food, low-fat, plant-based diet that uses no added oils and avoids nuts during the reversal phase of the diet. The proof is Cleveland Clinic’s Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn’s 30 plus years of work showing this dietary pattern not just prevents but reverses heart disease.

In Dr. Esselstyn’s small study of 24 coronary artery disease patients back in the early 1980s in which 18 stayed with the program for 12 years (6 left the study at its begining), 17 of the 18 had no further cardiac events in 12 year followup period while 1 subject did who went off the diet protocol (but eventually returned). Updating a 12 -Year Experience With Arrest and Reversal Therapy for Coronary Heart Disease (An Overdue Requiem for Palliative Cardiology) Esselstyn CB Jr. The Am J of Cardiology 1999 August 1; 84:339-34

Dr. Esselstyn then did a larger study of 198 individuals with established cardiovascular disease who had come to his one day intensive 5 1/2 hour workshop where Dr. Esselstyn explains what causes injury to the arterial wall (endothelium) which causes diseases of the heart and other blood vessels and how a strict plant-based diet can protect this “precious” single cell layer thick endothelium by increasing nitric oxide and reversing cardiovascular disease. Out of 198 people who took his workshop, 177 (89%) completed the study (stayed on the strict plant-based diet) for 3.7 years. In the 21 (11%) who went off the diet 62% had a significant cardiovascular event in 3.7 years being on the program. In those who stayed on thediet (177 subjects) only “1 person” or .6% had a cardiovascular event (stroke).This is with no side effects and at minimal cost and resources (handouts and 2 books!). A Way to Prevent CAD? The Journal of Family Practice. July 2014 Vol 63, No 7 page 257

In my audio interview (podcast) Dr. Esselstyn discusses his reasons why he doesn’t advocate the addition of “free” oils to his diet plan; comments on the use of olive oil and the Mediterranean diet. While it has some positive health aspects (Mediterranean diet) it has never been shown to REVERSE established cardiovascular disease; he recommends milled flax seed or chia seeds (plant Omega-3 fatty acids) but very limited nuts if any; he shares his view on the minimal use of dietary supplements (vitamin B12 and possible some vitamin D); the big picture that the #1 killer in the world of men and women (cardiovascular disease) is a “food borne illness” that need not exist and can be reversed; and with cardiovascular disease reversal many of the other devastating chronic diseases of our time costing billions of health care dollars and suffering would be wiped out as well with the application of this type of plant-based dietary pattern (diabetes, obesity, hypertension, stroke, etc.); and his belief that preventing or reversing cardiovascular disease is a significant component of preventing neurologic decline as well (vascular dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, etc.)

I strongly encourage you to share this interview with anyone (i.e. your loved ones, doctor – take the article to him/her A Way to Prevent CAD? ), especially if they have significant heart or blood vessel disease. Whether someone chooses to follow this simple plan is up to then, but personally I feel once you know that heart disease is reversible it should be shared and people can make up their own mind. Unfortunately, in those who choose not to act once they see the evidence, we all have to pay for it with higher insurance premiums and taxing of our health care system. Personally, I think it’s my “patriotic duty” to try and be as healthy as I can to reduce the unnecessary burden of preventable diseases costing on our government and society billions of dollars.

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