Is Heart-Attack Proof Possible? Dr. Sanjay Gupta Talks To Preventive Medicine Pioneers

The best weapon against heart disease may not be surgical interventions or drugs, but rather something much simpler: changing the way we eat.

Avoiding heart disease through nutrition is the radical yet science-based idea that Dr. Sanjay Gupta addressed in his special, "The Last Heart Attack," which aired last night on CNN. Gupta interviewed a number of pioneering doctors to discuss the idea that conditions like heart disease can be reversed by implementing preventive measures -- namely, changing the way we eat.

"Virtually eliminating heart disease -– it can be done, and truth is, we have known for a very long time how to do it," Gupta wrote on CNN.com. He continued:

I will admit, while I had trained my whole life to treat disease after it developed, I wasn’t medically trained in nutrition to be able to help prevent some of these diseases in the first place. Most of what I have learned has been on my own, since leaving medical school, and I think that is true for many doctors of my generation.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States, with more than 600,000 people dying from the disease a year. And each year, nearly 800,000 Americans have their first heart attack, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Another 470,000 of those people will go on to have another heart attack.

"One of the best kept secrets in the country in medicine is that doctors who are practicing aggressive prevention are really seeing heart attacks and strokes disappear from their practices. It's doable," cardiologist Dr. Arthur Agatston, author of "The South Beach Diet" books, told Gupta during the special.

Pushing the issue more and more into the mainstream is former President Bill Clinton's decision to adopt a plant-based, and then vegan, diet after undergoing a quadruple bypass in 2004 for blocked arteries.

Clinton was advised on the new diet by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr., a Director at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Center and long-time advocate for pure plant-based eating, and Dr. Dean Ornish, Founder and President of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute and Medical Editor at The Huffington Post.

Dr. Ornish told ABC News:

Moderate changes weren't enough for him to reverse or prevent heart disease. In our studies we show that [a plant-based diet] could actually reverse the progression of heart disease. Within a month we found that the blood flow to your heart can improve.

Dr. Patricia Fitzgerald, Founder and Medical Director of the Santa Monica Wellness Center and Huffington Post Wellness Editor, has been following Dr. Ornish's work for more than a decade.

His research shows that that comprehensive lifestyle changes may play an important role in the reversal of heart disease, she told HuffPost. "While whole foods plant-based nutrition is an important part of his program, Dr. Ornish also emphasizes other important aspects to a healthy lifestyle: exercise, loving relationships and group support, as well as stress management and meditation."

Preventive Medicine Gains Popularity

Former President Clinton isn't the only high-power politician touting the importance of prevention. U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius has been working to spread the word that good health starts with preventive measures.

Prevention is vital in preventing disease, Sebelius wrote on Medscape. (Watch the video here.)

Chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes are responsible for 75% of the nation's healthcare spending and 7 out every of 10 deaths in America each year. Yet, as you know, they are often preventable. By working together to address tobacco use, poor diet, lack of exercise, and alcohol abuse, we can cut down on the incidence of these conditions.

That's why people have to start making lifestyle changes at home, in order to combat diseases like heart attack and stroke, wrote former U.S. assistant surgeon general Dr. Susan Blumenthal on The Huffington Post earlier this year.

The biggest lifestyle changes a person can make to combat these diseases include quitting smoking, not being obese, being physically active and lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, Blumenthal wrote.

According to the Mayo Clinic, a heart-healthy diet is one that is low in saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol. Eating this sort of diet -- high in fruits, veggies and whole grains -- can help to keep weight, blood pressure and cholesterol down and under control, thereby fighting against heart disease.

A plant-based diet has also been shown in past research to help people with diabetes better control their glucose levels. And a 2008 study showed that eating this kind of diet can increase the enzyme telomerase, which lengthens telomeres. Telomeres are the ends of our chromosomes that are indicative of our lifespan, so the research shows that eating a plant-based diet could actually alter our genes for a longer life.

UPDATE: The entire special is now available online at http://sanjayguptamd.blogs.cnn.com/.

WATCH: Dr. Sanjay Gupta Interviews Former President Bill Clinton On CNN:

Comments

[tabithacomo]

12:01 AM on 09/05/2011

I think the segment was awesome!! I have been a vegetarian for 35 years and a vegan for 15, with two of my 3 pregnancies, I was totally vegan. My children are beautiful, healthy and smart. I even breastfed, no formula, on a vegan diet as well. I am extremely healthy, turning 40 next week and feel better than I did in my 20's when I ate dairy. I am always energetic and never sick, even though I work as a nurse around sick people daily. I recently had complete blood work done, and even with my strong family history of heart disease, high blood pressure and cholesterol, my triglicerides were 30, my HDL was in the 70's, my LDL's in the 20's, my blood sugar 72, and my serum B12, calcium and Vit D were all in the high normal range. My blood pressure runs 92/68 most days. I educated myself early on how to get calcium, protein and B12. I also take algae oil capsules for my omega 3. That, calcium and a daily vitamin is all that I take. I have no health problems and take no medication. The vegan diet works, I love creating new recipes, and I love to cook, my non vegan friends rave about my food. You all need to not be so negative and open your eyes and look at Americans. People are killing themselves with food, and guess what, food is the cure.

[Terry Case]

10:33 PM on 09/01/2011

Your studies are biased. Meat is not bad for you and using fast food junkies in your studies proves nothing. They could have quit eatiing fast food and kept meat and been fine. Lean meats like chicken and fish are awesome for you and eat red meat like twice a week. Study is biased and full of it.

[HerrMonk]

05:34 PM on 08/31/2011

If you want a heart attack, and to die young, sickly and weak, listen to Dr. Ornish.

[roudy]

10:42 PM on 08/31/2011

Fact free post.

[tabithacomo]

12:05 AM on 09/05/2011

I am not sickly at 40, I am vibrant healthy and happy and enjoy food, I also happen to be a vegetarian of 35 years and a vegan for 15. Dr. Dean's got it figured out!

[DrP]

05:18 PM on 08/30/2011

Is it not correct that Bill Clinton was advised by Dean Ornish as far back as the 90's, before his cardiac "events?"

[roudy]

10:42 PM on 08/31/2011

No.

[DrP]

05:16 PM on 08/30/2011

I don't buy into anything that is based on observational studies. Real science controls for all variable but the one that is being tested.
A scientifically valid study of the Ornish program was conducted in Germany. The diet was the test variable.. Male cardiac patients were put on the Ornish program of meditation, bio-feedback, psychotherapy, and exercise. Half followed the recommended diet, and half followed their usual diets. At the end of the study, the benefits to overall health and well-being and improvement in cardiac markers were virtually identical. In other words, it isn;t the diet.
I appreciate Dr. Ornish's emphasis on whole, unprocessed foods, exercise, and stress relief. All of those factors will go a long ways in improving health for all of us. However, my family suffered horrendously by attempting to follow low-fat diets during the 80s and 90s. We all now follow paleo/low-carb and are in amazingly good health. The exception is my step-father who derides our low-carb diets and eats his cereal and fruit while we enjoy our eggs. Guess who had a quadruple-bypass last summer? Another dear friend has been following an Ornish-based diet for 14 years. 2 years ago, he was lucky to have a 98% occluded coronary artery discovered before suffering what could have been a fatal heart attack. Since "diet and exercise" weren't working, he went on another statin. Another Ornish-following friend died last year after a series of strokes.

[roudy]

10:43 PM on 08/31/2011

Sure they did.

[Terry Case]

10:36 PM on 09/01/2011

I agree with you 100%

[rawfoodsphd]

02:30 PM on 08/30/2011

So nice reading positive posts by people who are open to the message, but there is also so much defensiveness about the plant-based diet. I think that comes from deeply rooted belief systems about eating meat. The anthropologist Margaret Mead said that it's easier to change a person's religion than the way they eat! People who choose a meat-free diet also have to be sensitive to how difficult and scary it may be to those who have entrenched habits about animal protein. Judgment never wins them over. Just model the behavior and the higher consciousness that comes from a cruelty-free diet. (www.rawfusionliving.com)

[DrP]

11:23 PM on 08/30/2011

My comments come from seeing my family's health destroyed by low-fat, vegan, and vegetarian, diets and from reading the science of nutrition and metabolism that offers incontrovertible evidence that it is high insulin levels, produced by excessive carbohydrate consumption, that is at the root of all diseases of civilization.

[steve12]

02:15 AM on 08/31/2011

There is some missing information here. I am vegan. I am also diabetic. I was diagnosed prior to changing to a plant based diet. My diagnosis is what convinced me to change. My vegan diet has significantly decreased my need for medication and I currently have a normal blood sugar level. Also, most vegans should probably take a B12, calcium, and Omega 6 supplement, which I do.

[rawfoodsphd]

08:37 AM on 08/31/2011

Certainly the vegetarian diet can be extremely unhealthy if one does not monitor their protein intake and overeats carbohydrates. I was a vegetarian for many years and did not flourish until I learned about eating more greens and adding some superfoods for protein and other nutrients.

[sonny088]

09:29 PM on 09/01/2011

I don't care if you or anyone else wants to eat vegan, be my guest, just stay OUT of my plate!

[Ralph Snyderman]

01:53 PM on 08/30/2011

Hats off to Drs. Gupta, Ornish and Esselstyn for their contributions to the prevention of heart attacks as shown in the CNN special, "The Last Heart Attack." It is critical to inform the public about the important role each of us plays in preventing diseases to which we may be susceptible. Most chronic diseases are preventable but people must understand and value their role in maintaing their health and minimizing disease. The CNN presentation, is a big first step in helping to bring this about.

http://prospectivehealth.blogspot.com/2011/08/hats-off-to-sanjay-gupta-strong-voice.html

[Planting Health]

08:59 AM on 08/30/2011

My dad experienced the reversing effects of Esselstyn's diet on heart disease and that was enough for me and the rest of my family to get on board, and we all ate what would be considered healthy before we switched too. Changing the way we eat seems a lot less dramatic than having a heart attack/surgery and being on prescription meds the rest of our lives. To each their own though, at least it's getting out that there is a safe alternative.

[Tracy Krulik]

07:03 AM on 08/30/2011

I became a vegetarian in 2005 out of love for animals. Turns out there was a tumor on my pancreas from years before that doctors read just as swelling on scans. In subsequent scans, what turned out to actually be a tumor had gotten smaller-- on its own. I had surgery to remove that tumor from my pancreas in 2007 but we couldn't remove the metastases in my liver and chest. We thought I'd need radiation or chemo, but four years later, with nothing more than a plant-based diet and gobs of exercise I am healthier than ever -- with cancer. It's simply not growing. I absolutely believe that with our lifestyle choices we can prevent and reverse diseases, and I'm thrilled that Sanjay is on board to spread the word. http://tracykrulik.com

[theveggiedude]

09:27 AM on 08/30/2011

Thanks for sharing.

[Z trufflesniffer]

12:19 PM on 08/30/2011

Wonderful news Tracy. I've heard several stories like this lately. Have you read Jane Plant's story? Just google her name and you can read though I had to buy the book which is fascinating. She and her husband are scientist and actually worked on the China Study project and was diagnosed with breast cancer with two weeks to live 13 years ago.

Enjoy your life.

[Tracy Krulik]

02:18 PM on 08/30/2011

Thanks so much. I had not read about Jane Plant before. It's amazing how much information is out there and yet still difficult to find. (And thanks for the badge! My first one! ^blush^)

[JHKH]

01:22 AM on 08/30/2011

Can't wait for the blowback from the beef industry. Also the pork and poultry industry. To think Oprah got sued just for saying she didn't find McDonald's burgers appealing after the BSE (or was it e coli? . . . anyway) scare.

[henriette and hube]

11:56 PM on 08/30/2011

Clinton has made this info public for at least a year. The "blowback" began the moment Campbell released The China Study.

[Terry Case]

10:42 PM on 09/01/2011

And itsall biased bullcrap. The China study was the most idiotic book I have read and as for Clinton he was a fast food pig out junkie all he had to do was quit eating fast food and eat smaller portions and keep meat in his diet and be fine. Vegan diet is not the healthiest diet and has been proven through real science not these biased studies.

[DrP]

11:08 PM on 08/29/2011

Since it is carbohydrates that require insulin to metabolize, and "type II diabetes" is a condition of high blood sugar/insulin levels due to excess carbohydrate consumption in the presence of insulin-resistance, it seems scientifically impossible for a carbohydrate-based diet to reverse "type II diabetes." Science would show that a high-fat diet is optimal for those of us with insulin resistance.

[SW84]

08:37 AM on 08/30/2011

"Since it is carbohydra­tes that require insulin to metabolize­, and "type II diabetes" is a condition of high blood sugar/insu­lin levels due to excess carbohydra­te consumptio­n in the presence of insulin-re­sistance, it seems scientific­ally impossible for a carbohydra­te-based diet to reverse "type II diabetes.""

what you are leaving out is that a plant based diet is high in fiber, which actual limits both the spike in blood glucose levels and insulin responses. and once again unless you also cut out protein as well as CHO you are doing nothing to prevent spikes in insulin

[DrP]

05:24 PM on 08/30/2011

"It doesn't matter what disease you are talking about, whether you are talking about a common cold or cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis or cancer, the root is always going to be at the molecular and cellular level, and I will tell you that insulin is going to have its hand in it, if not totally control it." Ron Rosedale
It is true that fibre does not raise insulin levels. I highly recommend fibre, but not as something you get by eating foods that are otherwise high in digestible carbohydrate that will raise blood sugar/insulin levels. High protein is also not advisable. It is a high fat diet that does not require insulin to metabolize and is the optimal diet for those of us (75% of the population) with some degree of insulin resistance.

[henriette and hube]

11:58 PM on 08/30/2011

Thank you for clarifying this information. People go on the PBD purposefully to cure themselves of diabetes and it works. DrP is highly misinformed.

[steve12]

02:22 AM on 08/31/2011

Most vegetables have a very low glycemic index, as are many fruits. Tofu also has a very low glycemic index, as do many nuts. Whether you follow a vegan or omnivore diet, watching your carbs is very important for anyone with diabetes.

[SW84]

08:38 AM on 08/31/2011

GI index is irrelevant in real world application, unless you eat said foods isocalorically and after a long fast, which is how the index was created

[DrP]

11:03 PM on 08/29/2011

Except that this all flies in the face of science.

[theveggiedude]

09:12 AM on 08/30/2011

So prominent doctors in the field are not based in science. What world do you live in? The third world? Sounds like it.

[DrP]

11:25 PM on 08/30/2011

I highly recommend you read the website of the another group of prominent doctors and researchers in the field: The Nutrition and Metabolism Society.

[HerrMonk]

05:40 PM on 08/31/2011

Doctors don't get prominent by practicing good science, they get prominent by telling people what they want to hear, finding their nitch, and capitalizing on it.

It's probably been over 20 years since Ornish has even pretending to care if what he's saying is backed up by science.

[ABQ-Mike]

04:51 PM on 08/29/2011

The soul must also be fed.

I would prefer to eat what pleases me and take the drugs. If my life is shortened, I would answer that it isn't only about longevity. Quality, pleasure, and enjoyment also count in creating a full, rich life. I'm 70 and doing fine. You do what you like but I would not trade all the red meat and gin that I have enjoyed, and continue to enjoy for another 30 years of vegan fruits and grains.

[steve12]

07:12 PM on 08/29/2011

All fruits and vegetables are vegan. All nuts are vegan. All whole grains are vegan. The only thing that is not vegan is dairy, meat, and eggs. Do you not think vegans enjoy their food, as well as omnivores? I can assure that they do.

Check out this award winning vegan cupcakes on the Food Network, http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/06/tasty-vegan-food-cupcakes-show-it-can-be-done/

As a new vegan after 52-years of life as an omnivore who ate anything and everything, I can tell you that I enjoy my food far more now than I ever did before.

Try it for 30-days and then decide. http://www.vegetariantimes.com/features/1015

Good luck to you, regardless of what you decide.

BTW, most gin is vegan.

[ABQ-Mike]

07:43 PM on 08/29/2011

Like I said, You do what you like but as an outdoorsman and hunter, I could not live without dairy, meat, and eggs. I'm relieved and gratified to learn that gin is vegan! I feel much better now. Hopefully, Scotch is too.

And I hope you enjoy your cupcakes.

[Kim Cooper]

08:32 AM on 08/30/2011

I signed up for the Vegan Challenge earlier this year. I lasted 2 days. I found some of the people kind of nuts(Can't use honey cause' it enslaves bees one woman told me) and the food hideous. I never felt satisfied after a meal. I admire the people who can do it. It is just too restrictive to someone like myself that likes to eat out. Finding places to eat out was a pain. Also it is expensive.

[T Howyadoin Roy]

04:36 PM on 08/29/2011

I have severe heart disease, and the one thing I know is I'm going out comfortably. Some sh!tty tasting diet is way worse then some morphine , a hamburger, and fries.

[lawyerfan]

05:20 PM on 08/29/2011

B'bye.

[roudy]

11:50 AM on 08/30/2011

Hasta La Vista, Baby.

[sonny088]

03:53 PM on 08/29/2011

All these "heath guru's" are full of it, every last one of them. I don't think ANY of them have one shred of credibility; if you read some old health publications going back 100 years or more you'll see a lot of these same things were recommended and did NOT do one damn thing to help. Our grandparents had it right on the money..moderation! There you go, 1 word diet advice better than all these clowns combined!

[Sueqstew]

08:54 PM on 08/29/2011

Read the "China Study, by T.H Campbell" I think you will find all the evidence you need. It is a message most Americans don't want to hear, but the evidence is pretty compelling. Talks a lot about Cancer too.

[DrP]

11:05 PM on 08/29/2011

The book by Campbell that actually doesn't report on the real conclusions of the actual China Study? That "China Study?" The one that has been thoroughly debunked by real scientists.

[Terry Case]

10:50 PM on 09/01/2011

Its a biased book by a biased dr who is VEGAN. Book is filled with lies.

[theveggiedude]

09:24 AM on 08/30/2011

Your grand parents had it right? Then why do you eat up to six times more meat and fat than they did? And their foods were not heavily processed as ours is today. maybe you should listen to your own advice sometimes.

[roudy]

11:52 AM on 08/30/2011

Good one. Fanned.

[DrP]

11:28 PM on 08/30/2011

HMMM...even though statistics show that meat consumption has been dropping over the last 30 years while grain and sugar consumption has skyrocketed?