Yes, it is possible to make arterial plaques regress significantly by switching to a plant-based diet. See the scientific papers (and books which are easily read by laypeople) of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn. Full of great references, and the books explain the science beautifully.
This is the absolute bible on the subject:
https://www.amazon.de/Prevent-Reverse-Heart-Disease-Nutrition-Based/dp/1583333002
Forks over Knives is also a good resource, as is anything by Dr McDougall (The Starch Solution, The McDougall Plan) and Dr Greger (How not do die).
All the best!
This book and it’s cook book state they can totally clear any plaque buildup. The Dr’s approach is plant based and shows X-ray proof it works:) good luck
Thank you for sharing your story. I am aware of the health benefits. I have read Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. The stories of reversing heart disease are very compelling.
This is the system President Clinton used to recover from his cardiac surgery and lose weight. It is written by a cardiac surgeon
Few doctors know a lot about nutrition. If you continue to have problems, ask for a consult with a nutritionist.
My husband had high cholesterol and significantly lowered it it through diet, using a modified version of the diet in this book by Caldwell Esselstyn.
Prevent And Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure https://www.amazon.com/dp/1583333002/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_75XKHN30R63BEMXAZ27K
Whole Food Plant Based is your answer.
Start here -
Prevent And Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure https://www.amazon.com/dp/1583333002/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_7R947DAZDK02GER1BHPA
Lots of other books on the subject. Checkout nutritionfacts.org for fact-based evidence of the benefits of a Whole Food Plant Based Diet.
Watch documentaries like *Forks over Knives", "What the Health" and "Gamechangers" if you aren't big into reading.
Addictions have a funny way of making us rationalize self-destructive behaviors. I am not advocating for Cheese Eaters Anonymous, nor comparing it to substance abuse disorders.
Well balanced diet implies that you are balancing good with bad, certainly that does not make any sense. There is no rationale for consuming harmful substances or foodstuffs. Drink in moderation. Drink responsibly. How about not drink a single drop?
Unnecessary extremes are open heart surgeries before being eligible for social security. Childhood diabetes. Preventable chronic illnesses that are merely paper tigers.
Denying evolution? That's a deep dive into pseudoscience I'm not even going to touch. Appeal to nature fallacy at it's base. It is clear you have biases, willing or not you are able to see. Say these risks are insignificant at your own peril.
It really depends on diet and your body. If you are really concerned about cholesterol then you should follow Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn's diet from the book "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure".
You can find it in your local library (physical or ebook or audio book) or second hand from Amazon or other online bookstores/second-hand stores (physical or online) for less.
Yes to both. Here's a book on a cardiac program that uses a vegan diet to reverse heart disease.
As for the farting, as your microbiome/gut flora changes with your diet, you fart a bit less. It seems like a lot at the start though.
That's amazing! Congratulations on your success! If you're worried about your heart, I thoroughly recommend this book by Dr. Esselstyn. Don't look back, keep looking forward :) https://www.amazon.com/Prevent-Reverse-Heart-Disease-Nutrition-Based/dp/1583333002
> I'm 38 and the past couple of years I've led a very unhealthy lifestyle and gained a lot of weight.
No disrespect, insult, or snark intended. Those sound like some pretty good, if distant warning signs right there.
You might want to check out this book written by the cardiac surgeon who created the diet President Bill Clinton used to recover from his bypass operation. It is also good for preventing heart disease, as well diabetes.
Good Luck
Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: by Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr.
This book is written by the cardiac surgeon who was Dr. Dean Ornish's mentor and who created the diet President Clinton followed after his heart bypass operation. The diet not is not only clinically proven to reverse cholesterol buildup on arteries, but it also reduces the risk for cancer and diabetes.
Are nuts and avocados oils? NO! Oils are olive oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, etc. Dr. McDougall is not the only one to recommend no oils. Dr. Esselstyn, who has done extensive research on the prevention and reversal of heart disease also recommends no oils.
Nuts, seeds, and avocados are all okay on the diet in small amounts. It is only recommended not to overindulge, as they're very calorically dense and it can impede weight loss (if that's the goal).
John McDougall is a very respected vegan doctor, author, and personality.
I just finished reading the Starch Solution, and I would say it is pretty good info. I eat a whole foods plant based diet, which is the healthiest type of vegan diet. On r/vegan there's a lot of junk food vegans.
>being vegan and healthy, at least initially, seems like taking on an additional part-time job.
You should read this book
http://www.amazon.com/Prevent-Reverse-Heart-Disease-Nutrition-Based/dp/1583333002
Vegan diets are extremely healthy and not nearly as difficult as many people assume.
IMO everyone should read this
https://www.amazon.com/Prevent-Reverse-Heart-Disease-Nutrition-Based/dp/1583333002/ref=nodl_
Everyone is afraid to admit it to themselves, but eating mostly plant based, being active, and having good social support will get you there. The areas of the world with highest average longevity (blue zones) fulfill these 3 categories. Good luck, see you in 100 years.
Sources:
https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Caldwell-B-Esselstyn-Jr/dp/1583333002
i recommend looking at this book
https://www.amazon.com/Prevent-Reverse-Heart-Disease-Nutrition-Based/dp/1583333002
and anything from Caldwell B Esselstyn on youtube.
Have him read this book:
and here is the companion cookbook that helps him transition:
Got them both from my library. Fascinating stuff. Also, show him things like Nutritionfacts.org. A plant-based diet is the only proven way to reverse heart disease.
Also, here is a documentary about someone having a heart attack, and it truly grips you and shows you the fragility of the heart. Pretty good for 20 years ago.
This is a CNN interview President Bill Clinton gave with Wolf Blitzer about the diet he used to recover from his heart bypass surgery.
The diet was developed by a retired cardiac surgeon and a former Olympic athlete Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr. M.D.. I went to a few lectures given by Dr. Esselstyn and had a chance to eat breakfast with him. He is very much a scientist and a no-nonsense guy.
He was Dr. Dean Ornish's mentor whose program took inspiration form Dr. Esselstyn's diet, and was clinically proven to reverse plaque building up in human arteries.
He wrote a book describing the diet President Clinton decided to use.
Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: by Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr.
I eat a similar diet in avoiding all meat, dairy products, and eggs. I also try to eat flax seeds everyday, take an omega3 EPA/DHA supplement, and a b-12 supplement. While it is cholesterol that clogs the pipes, lack of adequate b-12 causes "wounds" on the arterial walls that makes the walls sticky, promoting plaque buildup. Inadequate omega 3s also promotes inflammation of those "wounds", making the walls sticky and again promoting buildup. It becomes harder as people age to absorb the b-12 in their foods and almost everyone doesn't get enough omega 3s, so I take the b-12 and omega 3 supplements ( and eat the ground flax seeds ).
On top of all of that I do cardio 3-4 times a week. I don't smoke or drink.
I do have possible genetic dispositions to worry about
My father died in his mid 70s. If bowl cancer didn't get him, hardening of his arteries would have. After having a bypass operation AND his carotid artery cleared it was discovered that many of his arteries were hardened, brittle, etc..
Re 3. Are we talking about estrogen receptor negative breast cancer/estrogen-sensitive cancers or BRCA1/2.
If you have enough fiber in your diet (like 3% of the American population), you reduce your risk for estrogen-sensitive cancer..
> Also, she wants me to tell them that her parents both died really early due to heart attacks, is that relevant?
Not relevant! Heart disease (Source 2) (via atherosclerosis) is leading cause of death in the western world.
Still your could make yourself Heart Attack Proof (Book) to live longest and longest healthiest. Heart disease (stroke, embolism and heart attack) is the biggest cause of disability in people over 50. You may survive it thanks to modern medicine, but not as intact and well as you were. The Standard American Diet/Western pattern diet is a ticking time bomb. That includes fish & chips and Olive Oil, which received so much praise by those TV Doctors. Period.
Just last week, Channel4 24hrs A&E S10E3 had a patient (stroke) where this came up and the Docs said 'heart disease is the biggest cause of disability in people over 50' with a straight stern face, into the camera, to the UK public.
And because estrogen pills come with side-effects (higher risk of embolism (blood clot) aka deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which can also break loose from anywhere and can get re-lodged anywhere like your lung (pulmonary embolism), any organ or brain (stroke)). Thus, the GP does measure your cholesterol levels because there is a correlation with higher cholesterol levels (through diet & lifestyle) comes also higher blood clotting risk (through diet & lifestyle). High cholesterol levels cause atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis leads to Heart Disease (embolism, stroke, heart attack).
And because your are most likely to adopt the dietary habits of your family than not, familial medical history is always inquired, to gauge your estimated risk (%) for heart disease events, cancer, diabetes and other chronic diseases like non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases.
edited, added last two paragraph. sorry for going overboard here but felt obliged to issue this information which I think is important. better safe than sorry. better to have a well-informed patient than to hear 'I wasn't told that could happen.' At least the WHO put meat on the list of carcinogens together with tobacco and asbestos. Finally.
Ok I read that, but this is ONE MAN though. That study is similar to saying that if a person walks blindly into a busy intersection every day and doesn't get hit by a car that it is generally a safe practice. What if every USA citizen ate 25 eggs per day? Imagine how many more heart attacks per day there would be. Did you know that in some areas of the world heart disease does not exist? Is it coincidence that these same parts of the world the people do not eat high amounts of meat/dairy in their diet like most people do in USA? LOL I am unsure why we are so behind the times in the dietary health culture of America, maybe it has to do with the powerful marketing from the meat and dairy industry. They are out to sell you unhealthy products and try to convince you the opposite just so they can make $$$. Did you know that there is a proven way to prevent heart disease? Don't take my word for it, read the book or watch Forks Over Knives. The knowledge is spreading.
It isn't a radical idea. It is nutritional science.
Here is a CNN interview with President Clinton about the diet he chose for recovering from his bypass operation.
The cardiac surgeon who created President Clinton's diet wrote this book
Preventive care costs 21 bucks: https://www.amazon.com/Prevent-Reverse-Heart-Disease-Nutrition-Based/dp/1583333002