What Causes Erectile Dysfunction?

Blood vessel problems are the most common cause of ED, but the condition can also stem from muscular, hormonal, psychological, and/or nervous system-related issues.

Furthermore, physical and psychological problems can interact to cause or worsen erectile dysfunction: Difficulty achieving an erection due to a minor physical issue can cause anxiety; that anxiety can, in turn, cause further difficulty. Also, depression, stress, and relationship issues all can result in ED. Some of the physical causes of ED include hardening of blood vessels to the pelvic arteries (atherosclerosis); a variety of heart diseases often due to atherosclerosis; smoking; high blood pressure; cholesterol disorders; diabetes mellitus; multiple sclerosis; alcoholism; prior prostate cancer surgery; spinal cord injury; poor dental health; prescription drug effects; and Parkinson’s disease.

What Is the Connection Between ED and Arteries?

The inner lining of every artery, including arteries to the pelvis, is a single layer of cells called the endothelium. It is estimated that your endothelium would cover six to seven tennis courts of surface area if stretched out! An appreciation of the endothelium won three researchers the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1998: They figured out that when this wallpaper-like lining was healthy, it produced the gas nitric oxide (NO), which resists plaque, clotting, or constriction of arteries. A good endothelium leads to good sustained erections, just as it leads to good heart artery flow. 

What Is the Heart Risk with ED?

ED is a powerful predictor of future heart events even in men who have no known heart issues. For example, if you live in Olmsted County, Minnesota, near the Mayo Clinic, and are a man between the ages of 40 and 49 without known heart disease but with ED, you have up to a 50-fold higher likelihood of eventually having new heart events compared with men the same age without ED. Rarely in medicine is there ever a risk factor this powerful. 

Are Diabetes and ED Connected?

Men with diabetes have nearly twice the risk of ED. Recent data indicate that in diabetic men ED predicts the presence of diseased arteries and future heart events several years before a heart attack or heart death—making ED a stronger predictive factor than smoking, high blood pressure, or even a family history of early heart disease. 

Furthermore, in diabetic men who have ED, the risk of future heart events may be three to four times the rate of nondiabetic men who have ED. Recognizing the connection between diabetes, ED,  and cardiovascular disease allows time to identify, treat, and reverse arterial damage.  

How Do Lifestyle and Diet Impact ED?

Lifestyle factors are known to harm the endothelium and its production of nitric oxide, leading to ED. The standard American diet (high in processed foods packed with chemicals, fat, sugar, and salt), lack of exercise, poorly managed stress, environmental toxins such as BPA, and poor sleep are among the lifestyle factors that produce ED. Diets emphasizing whole plant foods—low in saturated fats and rich in minerals, vitamins, and phytonutrients—promote arterial health and erectile success. The flavonoids in fruits, vegetables, herbs, and teas work to prevent ED. 

How Do I Check My Heart If I Have ED?

The first step when ED develops is to seek out a health care practitioner for complete lab work and assessment for undiagnosed heart disease and other medical conditions. The American Heart Association recently updated its guidelines for the management of cholesterol to consider a simple CT scan of the heart known as a coronary artery calcium score (CACS) as pivotal in deciding on therapy and identifying silent heart disease. Abnormalities of blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, sleep, and weight, and lifestyle risk factors such as smoking and stress need to be corrected. 

How Do I Treat ED?

For nearly three decades it has been known that just as arteries can worsen with time, they can also improve. Sometimes reversal will require prescription medication to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and sugar, but natural approaches have been proven to work and actually address the root cause of most cases of ED: arterial health. 

Diet

In 1990, Dean Ornish, MD, showed that atherosclerosis of heart arteries was reversible using a whole-food, plant-based diet and other lifestyle measures. The data has become so robust that the Ornish Lifestyle Medicine program was recognized by Medicare in 2010 for reimbursement as a therapy for CAD. A similar plant-based dietary program based out of the Pritikin Longevity Center in Miami received the same Medicare designation for intensive therapy and reversal of heart disease. Many men pursuing these programs report improvements in ED. 

Exercise

The role of exercise combined with diet is crucial for the success of these programs. Research studies indicate the greater the commitment to exercise, the lower the risk of ED. 

Prescription Medications vs. Natural Remedies

A variety of prescription and natural remedies are specifically used for ED. Sildenafil (Viagra) was originally developed and studied as a heart drug when male research subjects reported an unexpected “side effect”: greatly improved erections. The plans for Viagra as a heart drug were abandoned and a new class of drugs, which now includes Levitra and Cialis, was launched and have become blockbusters with a high safety margin. However, these drugs do not reverse the root causes of ED. Natural agents such as maca, bergamot, berberine, aged garlic, pomegranate, citrulline, and beetroot all may support healthy artery function and are often used as over-the-counter aids for ED. 

Low-Intensity Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (LIST)

The newest addition to the treatment of ED is low-intensity extracorporeal shockwave therapy (LIST). Extracorporeal shockwave therapy was first introduced first for kidney stones, and then adapted as a heart treatment in Europe at a much lower intensity, hence LIST. The shock waves stimulate blood vessel and nerve growth, stem cell release, and production of more NO to correct the most common underlying pathologies leading to ED: impaired nerve and blood vessel function. LIST is a simple and effective addition to the treatment of ED in men (and soon to be adapted for sexual impairment in women) that I use in my clinic with quite impressive results. I have found that the positive response to LIST opens the door for many men to take better care of their overall health and adopt a whole-food, plant-based diet. 

Ready to get started? Check out our Plant-Based Primer to learn more about adopting a whole-food, plant-based diet.

This article was originally published on Sept. 20, 2019, and has been updated.

The post How Erectile Dysfunction Can Save a Life (and Be Reversed) appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

What Is Asthma?

A common and sometimes disabling disorder, asthma is an airway disease of the lungs that makes it hard to breathe and causes wheezing. It is characterized by inflammation in the walls of the bronchial tubes in the lungs, which can become swollen. It can be present chronically but can flare acutely with constriction of muscles in the airways that can become life-threatening. Triggers can include viruses, exercise, stress, allergens like pets, and drug reactions. It is estimated that about 8 percent of people in the United States suffer from asthma. (As a child, I was one of those statistics and recall several trips to the emergency room for breathing treatments.) 

New Report on Asthma and Nutrition

For the new report in Nutrition Reviews, researchers from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine reviewed more than 150 scientific studies examining the role of nutrition in asthma prevention and treatment, concluding that “recommendations to increase fruit and vegetable consumption, while decreasing saturated fat and dairy intake, are supported by the current literature” for the prevention and treatment of asthma. 

The key findings they identified:

• High intake of fruit and vegetables may reduce the risk of developing asthma.
• High intake of fruit and vegetables may make asthma symptoms more manageable.
• Fruit and vegetable intake can lower airway inflammation.
• Dairy can increase airway hyperactivity and asthma symptoms.
• Western diets characterized by low fiber and high fat intake worsen lung function and inflammation.
• The odds of asthma decrease with increased intake of plant foods and decreased intake of meat.

The authors present several potential mechanisms by which plant foods might decrease asthma risk: higher fiber intake and its role in lowering inflammation on the gut microbiome; lower levels of fats, particularly animal saturated fats, which can raise inflammation via their adverse effect on gut bacteria; and the lower risk of being overweight or obese, as obesity is linked to asthma. 

Of the more than 150 scientific studies that the researchers reviewed, one of the earliest was a 1985 study from Sweden. Researchers conducted a one-year experiment with a vegan diet in 35 patients suffering from chronic asthma. In almost all cases, medications used on average for 12 years could be withdrawn or drastically reduced. Of those following the diet for the entire year, 92 percent reported improved symptoms. Testing of pulmonary function, cholesterol levels, and allergic markers in the blood all improved. The authors concluded that this approach might replace conventional medication. 

Also included in the PCRM review was a 2004 study from Malaysia of 22 children between the ages of 3 and 14 who had asthma. Thirteen children volunteered to eat a diet free of eggs and milk for eight weeks; the other nine served as controls. After eight weeks, blood markers of allergic response and inflammation were lower among the 13 children restricting eggs and milk. Measures of airway flow were also significantly improved in this group while unchanged in the control group. The scientists concluded that even an eight-week change in diet can improve lung function in asthmatic children.

The Takeaway

With the current focus on lung health and avoiding pulmonary illness during this viral pandemic, there is no better time to embrace a diet of whole plants, brightly colored and as fresh as possible. Take a deep breath and appreciate the miracle of a healthy body. 

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1. Adventist Health Study-2: Unprocessed Red Meat and Heart Disease

The Adventist Health Study was established in 1958 after data indicated that residents of Loma Linda, California, outlived the average Californian by a decade or more. Loma Linda is now known as one of the five Blue Zones, or pockets of centenarian longevity worldwide. Red meat consumption is lower in the Adventist community than in the rest of the U.S., so researchers analyzed data to determine if trends in meat consumption and mortality exist in a low-meat-consumption population. The findings: Among 72,149 study participants during a mean follow-up of 12 years, there were 7,961 total deaths, including 2,598 heart deaths and 1,873 cancer deaths. Unprocessed red meat was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality and heart mortality. Processed meat alone was not significantly associated with risk of mortality. The combined intake of red and processed meat was associated with all-cause mortality and heart mortality. These findings suggest moderately higher risks of all-cause and heart mortality associated with red and processed meat, even in a low-meat-intake population.

2. Harvard Meta-Analysis: Plant Protein and Cholesterol

Researchers at Harvard published an analysis of 36 randomized clinical trials studying the effects of replacing red meat with a variety of other foods. Among 1,803 participants, researchers found that diets higher in quality plant protein sources, such as legumes, soy, and nuts, resulted in lower levels of both total and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol compared with diets higher in red meat.

3. Global Burden of Disease Study: More Plants, Less Meat

In April I wrote about the latest Global Burden of Disease Study, which found that 22 percent of deaths worldwide—11 million a year—are due to diet choices. Diets high in red and processed meat made the list of the top 15 dietary factors in death. Notably, meat consumption was a less powerful predictor of death compared with inadequate intake of whole grains, fruits, nuts and seeds, and vegetables. Overall, packing your plate with whole plant foods lowers your risk of disease.

4. Kuopio Finnish Heart Study: Protein and Heart Disease

Since 1984 a group of men have been studied in Finland for the development of heart disease. An analysis of 2,641 men was reported in terms of diet and risk of early death. During an average follow-up of 22 years, 1,225 participants died due to disease. Higher ratios of animal protein to plant protein and higher meat intake were associated with increased mortality. Higher intake of total protein and animal protein had borderline statistically significant associations with increased mortality risk. When evaluated based on disease history at baseline, the association of total protein with mortality was stronger among those with a history of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer.

5. U.K. BioBank: Red and Processed Meat and Colorectal Cancer

Most previous studies on diet and colorectal cancer were based on diets consumed during the 1990s. This new study looked at data from 475,581 subjects who filled out short food-frequency questionnaires between 2006 and 2010. During an average six-year follow-up, 2,609 cases of colorectal cancer occurred. Participants who reported consuming a daily average of 76 grams of red and processed meat were 20 percent more likely to develop colorectal cancer than those who ate 21 grams daily. Participants reporting the highest intake of fiber from bread and breakfast cereals had a 14 percent lower risk of colorectal cancer.

6. Pan-European EPIC Cohort and Heart Disease

There is uncertainty about the relevance of animal foods to the etiology of heart disease. A prospective study assessed the diets of 409,885 men and women in nine European countries using validated questionnaires, calibrated using 24-hour recalls. Over 13 years, the risk of heart disease rose with every 100-gram increase in daily red and processed meat intake. Consumption of red and processed meat was positively associated with serum non-HDL cholesterol concentration and systolic blood pressure. The conclusion was that the risk for heart disease was positively associated with consumption of red and processed meat.

7. Scientific Advisory Committee of Nutrition in the UK

Advisors to the government of the United Kingdom last reviewed saturated fat recommendations for the English public in 1994. This year they updated that evaluation in a 443-page report that looked at new research studies since that time. The 2019 panel did not buy into the notion that butter, or meat, is back. They decided to stick with the 1994 recommendation that Brits limit their saturated fat intake to 10 percent or less of total calories. They specifically pointed to meat, butter, pizza, full-fat dairy, and baked goods made with butter, lard, and oils as primary sources of saturated fat intake in the U.K.

8. TMAO and the Paleo Diet

One of the hot dietary trends in the past decade has been to ditch grains, legumes, and dairy and try to mimic a meat-heavy Paleolithic diet. In a randomized study done in Australia of subjects eating a typical local diet versus a Paleo diet, researchers measured TMAO, a metabolite that is created by ingesting red meat. TMAO has been shown to increase atherosclerosis of blood vessels, platelet clumping and clotting, and scarring of kidney and heart tissue—all adverse developments. Measurements of TMAO blood levels were higher in the Paleo dieters while fiber intake was much lower, both concerning developments.

9. Neu5Gc and Hardening of Arteries

Although studies have linked heart disease with the consumption of animal foods in general and red meat in particular, we are still learning new pathways. A recent animal-research study describes in detail one such pathway to developing damaged heart arteries. In most species, a compound called Neu5Ac is produced and converted by an enzyme to Neu5Gc, which can be found on blood vessels and other tissues. It turns out that humans lost the enzyme and therefore cannot produce Neu5Gc. Red meat is rich in Neu5Gc. In this new study, an animal model was created that mimicked humans’ inability to convert the A to the G version of the compound. When the lab animals were then fed a diet rich in Neu5Gc and fats (such as meat), they developed 2.4 times the arterial atherosclerosis of the control animals. This study identifies another biological pathway that makes humans poorly suited to depend on red meat for nourishment.

10. Methionine and Cancer Therapy

Methionine is an essential amino acid found in animal and plant foods, but it exists in much higher concentrations in red meat, pork, poultry, fish, and eggs compared with plant foods. To test the theory that a low-methionine (plant-strong) diet may slow aging and improve insulin responsiveness, researchers at Duke University studied two models of cancer in mice fed an average and a low-methionine diet. They reported that there were differences in “one carbon metabolism” and cancer growth and that the low-methionine diet enhanced responsiveness to cancer therapy. They then showed in healthy human volunteers that eating a low-methionine diet for three weeks produced the same changes in “one carbon metabolism” as the mice. The easiest way to reduce methionine intake is to limit or eliminate animal foods on the plate.

11. Red Meat Allergies Triggered by Tick Bites

Could anyone have anticipated the serious allergy to red meat that is spreading across the USA? Indeed, the Lone Star tick is spreading from the East Coast to middle America, as far north as Maine and Minnesota, and as far south as Texas. Those who are bitten by this tick can develop an antibody to alpha-gal, a carbohydrate molecule in red meat. After the tick bite, the next meat meal may result in hives, wheezing, runny nose, or even anaphylaxis requiring medical care and use of an EpiPen. There is no cure except avoiding meat, just like others avoid tree nuts. In one study in Virginia, heart patients with antibodies to alpha-gal from the tick bite had more heart disease than those who had not reacted. A 2019 study found that the risk of developing the allergy following a tick bite may be greater than previously reported.

 12. ARIC Prospective 25-Year Study: Whole Plant Foods for the Win

Recently reported was an analysis of over 12,000 U.S. residents who filled out food questionnaires on several occasions and were followed for 25 years. None had heart disease on entry into the study and they were not a selected population (like the Adventists) but represented a cross-section of the USA. At follow-up, those following a healthy plant-based diet—rich in fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes—had less heart disease, fewer heart deaths, and less death overall. The authors from Johns Hopkins University recommended reducing animal foods and bulking up on whole plant foods to reduce disease risk.

Overall, these studies, drawing data from nearly 200 countries and many prestigious universities, support exclusively or predominantly eating whole foods of plant origin such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, and reducing or eliminating meat entrees. If you happen to know a butcher, hug him or her, but do not spend your dollars there. It is clear that 2019 is a very tough year to be a butcher.

The post 12 Studies from 2019 That Make the Case for Avoiding Meat appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Past that, the areas of disagreement center on the amount (and sourcing) of animal products, if any, that have a place in a healthy diet. One area of contention has been dairy, particularly butter, hailed a few years ago on the cover of Time magazine as back in favor as a health food. What has the scientific literature in 2017 revealed about the health impacts of butter and other dairy products? Here is a bulletpoint list:

Dairy Is Associated with Increased All-Cause Mortality
In a meta-analysis of 27 prospective nutrition studies, researchers found a non-linear increase in all-cause mortality with greater dairy consumption and a reduced risk with consumption of whole grains, fruits, nuts, vegetables, and fish. This topic remains open to further research as another analysis this year showed that fermented dairy products like cheese—as opposed to non-fermented dairy—may decrease heart-related mortality risk. Notably, this second study was funded by a grant from the dairy industry.

Substituting Margarine for Butter Reduced Heart Risk
In a prospective study of more than 74,000 women, the question of replacing butter with margarine was analyzed. Compared to butter, tub margarine was associated with a lower risk of heart attack. The same trends existed for stroke and total heart disease events.

Dietary Patterns That Include Butter Raise Heart Risk
In a prospective study in Wales of 1,838 men, a dietary pattern that included butter was associated with increased heart disease risk while a pattern that included whole grain cereals, dairy, pudding, and biscuits without cheese or butter was associated with a lower risk of heart disease and stroke. Those are some powerful whole grains!

Cheese and Butter Linked to Type 2 Diabetes
A group of 3,349 subjects in the PREDIMED study who were free of diabetes at baseline were tracked for more than four years. Those with the highest intakes of saturated fat and animal fat had the greatest risk for developing diabetes in follow-up. Consuming just one daily serving of butter and cheese was associated with a higher risk of diabetes. The diabetes link is still under study as another analysis this year reached the opposite conclusion.

Low-Fat Dairy Favored Over High-Fat Dairy
In a group of over 42,000 men and women in Iran studied for 11 years, consumption of low-fat dairy, especially low-fat yogurt and cheese, was associated with reduced mortality and heart disease risk, while greater intake of high-fat dairy and milk was not associated with these benefits.

The Impact of Butter on Heart Disease Risk
In a randomized, controlled study of 92 people with abdominal obesity and low HDL (good) cholesterol levels, five different dietary patterns (butter-rich; cheese-rich; polyunsaturated fatty acid-rich; monounsaturated fatty acid-rich; and low-fat, high-carbohydrate) were tested for four weeks each. Increases in HDL (good) cholesterol concentrations were similar during the butter- and cheese-rich phases, but LDL (bad) cholesterol concentrations increased significantly on a diet rich in butter.

Milk and Butter Intake Associated with Higher Mortality in Sweden
The dairy foods intake of more than 100,000 healthy adults in Sweden was followed for 14 years after obtaining dietary histories. High consumers of non-fermented dairy and butter experienced increased measures of all-cause mortality. High consumers of fermented dairy products had better outcomes.

High-Fat, High-Sugar Diets Linked to More Depression
Almost 5,000 adults in a Dutch research study were assessed for dietary patterns and depressive symptoms. A combined high-saturated-fat and high-sugar dietary pattern including butter and high-fat dairy products was associated with more depressive symptoms.

As is often the case, studies shed light on optimal nutrition but may still leave unresolved questions and issues. Furthermore, funding of studies by industry, as is often the case when dairy consumption and health outcomes are reported, may raise a concern over biases. Overall, the bulk of the data in 2017 favors the conclusion that butter and dairy are best avoided for optimal health. This is consistent with statements this year by members of both the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.

The post Are Butter and Dairy Back in 2017? A Look at the Latest Research appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Researchers examined data from over 200,000 health professionals, free of heart disease at the beginning of the study, followed for over 25 years. Participants filled out repeated food questionnaires. Researchers developed two dietary patterns. One was called the healthful plant-based diet index (hPDI) and was defined as eating more whole grains, fruits and vegetables, nuts, legumes, teas, coffee, and vegetable oils (as compared with butter and lard). The other dietary pattern was called the unhealthful PDI (uPDI) and was defined as one with increases in juices, sweetened beverages, refined grains, sweets, and fried potatoes.

During the study, 8,631 subjects developed coronary heart disease (CHD) like a heart attack or needing heart bypass surgery. Adhering to any plant-based diet lowered the risk of CHD by about 8 percent overall during the study. Then the researchers took it a step further and analyzed the risk of CHD based on the quality of the diet. The good news was that the benefit was much stronger for those following the hPDI, where the risk of developing CHD was slashed by 25 percent. These data are a huge confirmation that eating a whole-food, plant-based diet is a powerful tool to prevent that first heart event that may be fatal. The bad news was that for those who followed the uPDI pattern, there actually was an increase in the risk of developing CHD, perhaps as much as a 30 percent increase! Clearly eating junky food, even if plant-based, makes for a junky body and a junky heart.

A database this large, that includes so many years of follow-up information on participants, by a major research center is uncommon and provides important insight into what we should be putting on our plates. The overall finding that plant-based diets lower the risk of CHD is not new but confirmed in this mega study. The importance of the quality of the plant-based diet on heart health outcomes may be obvious, but here it is dramatically demonstrated.

The food industry has responded with the creation of many plant-based processed food and drink choices that would easily fit the uPDI pattern. As delicious and convenient as these foods may be, they should either be avoided or enjoyed rarely. The majority of the food we eat should be from the produce department at local stores, the farmer’s market plant-based choices, or our own gardens. For health, the quality of the food we choose and the closer it is to the earth make all the difference. I’d even like to see the term “plant diet” instead of “plant-based” used to make it clear that it should be plants, not processed morsels made in food company plants, that fuel our health.

The post For a Healthy Heart, Not All Plant Foods Are Equal appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

In March of this year, Adam texted me to tell me he was ready for a change. He hadn’t had a health crisis yet (he is in his 40s), but he knew his diet, heavy in processed meat, could not work in the long-term. I was shocked, pleased, and, of course, supportive when he suggested going fully plant-based for 30 days. On top of this 30-day challenge, a huge departure from his normal diet, was the added challenge that he ate nearly every meal out at restaurants. So he was going to have to do some extra maneuvering.

The Bacon-Lover’s 30-Day Vegan Challenge

To document a baseline, we arranged for some advanced blood-work and urinalysis at the Kahn Center for Cardiac Longevity at the end of March. On April 1, he jumped right in, switching out eggs and bacon for oatmeal and fruit plates. Lunches of soups and vegetables began to appear on his Facebook page. Dinners of steak-house appetizers, tofu stir fries, and entrees from my plant-based restaurant GreenSpace Café got him through the first few days. He bravely and publicly posted about his diet switch on social media and received a lot of positive support. There were, of course, a few taunts and invitations to return to the “dark side.”

He found grocery shopping difficult at first, so I helped him through a couple shopping trips. We filled his baskets with fresh whole foods along with a few processed vegan choices. To his credit, Adam quickly decided to only eat whole-food, plant-based meals.

He stuck to the program 100 percent and began to notice that he got better sleep and had increased energy and greater brain clarity. He was not overweight, so he didn’t need to lose weight, but he did mention his bowel movements were easier with all the added fiber from the fruits and vegetables. He made it through the 30 days successfully.

On May 1, we repeated his laboratory studies. To be honest, we were both nervous. What if there were no changes from his abnormal baseline lab results? We knew that 30 days was not a very long time, and perhaps wasn’t long enough to see significant changes. We were both overjoyed when the results returned.

Advanced Lab Results After 30 Days on a Plant-Based Diet

Adam’s first baseline blood level showed a seriously elevated C-reactive protein at 6.1 mg/L. High sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is a marker of inflammation that has been linked to heart attack, stroke, diabetes and cancer. Adam’s repeat level was 0.7mg/L, a dramatic and meaningful decline to normal.

Adam’s baseline microalbumin/creatinine ratio was a very worrisome 8.5, indicating his arteries were sick from his food choices. This simple but powerful urine test reflects the health of the arteries in the kidneys and throughout the body. If elevated, it predicts increased risks of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Adam’s second test, just one month later, showed an undetectable level! This dramatic improvement shocked and pleased us all.

Adam’s total cholesterol fell from 224 mg/dL to 196 mg/dL, his LDL cholesterol fell from 142 mg/dL to 115 mg/dL, and his LDL particle number fell from 1714 mg/dL to 1474 mg/dL. These are significant improvements in just 30 days.

I’ve practiced medicine for over 30 years and have eaten a plant based diet for nearly 40 years. Even after all that time, I am still so impressed at how quickly the body can recover when excess salt, sugar, and fat are removed and whole plant foods replace meat, dairy, and processed foods. I am proud to report that Adam is still eating a plant-based diet, encouraged by the way he feels and the results of his laboratory reports. I recommend that all of my patients dive headfirst into a vegan challenge of at least 21 days in length. The patients who take the challenge feel so much better, and many continue long term as Adam is now doing. It’s inspiring to see!

Adam’s labwork showing his improved results after 30 days. 

The post Cardiologist’s Case Study: A Patient’s Lab Results After 30 Days on a Plant-Based Diet appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Over the years, I’d be asked to address real-life challenges from my patients who had watched Forks Over Knives and were embarking on plant-based diets. The most common questions were Who else eats this way? and Where can we eat out with friends but still follow our heart disease program?

The First Step: A Plant-Based Nutrition Support Group

To help with the first question, I co-founded a plant-based nutrition support group in Detroit that has now grown to over 1,000 members (www.pbnsg.org). Our monthly meetings provide information from noted speakers local and distant, a forum for answering questions (Why no added oils?), and local friendships/community. To help with the second question, the group arranged for some whole-food, plant-based menus at local Detroit restaurants. Because most of these eateries also served dairy and meat, the comfort level was not complete.

The Next Step: A Whole-Food, Plant-Based Restaurant Concept

I wanted to do more to help people interested in eating out healthfully. About two years ago, my oldest son Daniel and I decided to tackle this project using his MBA and interest in vegan nutrition. After reviewing some franchises and discussing options with several local restaurateurs, we decided to create our own concept without compromise. A small restaurant in Ferndale, Michigan came on the market, and we grabbed it at the end of 2014. We gutted the place and designed a kitchen for our chef Steve Weller, equipped with special ovens for producing gourmet oil-free vegan entrees, but no fryers. Then when the owner of the store next door died suddenly, we decided to double our space with a lounge and some retail space.

GreenSpace Café now seats well over 100 guests, ballooning to 150 when the patio opens, and is completely plant-based (vegan). It’s a welcoming café with gourmet handcrafted foods featuring organic herbs and spices. All products are certified organic or grown by local farmers we know are using organic practices. Our connections with local farmers are strong, and we design our menu based on their growing seasons and output. The menu has many items that are gluten- or soy-free, and we offer many entrees with no added oils, welcoming followers of Dr. Esselstyn, Dr. Ornish, and other leaders in the field of heart disease reversal.

2015 has been a long year with a few challenging moments. None of that matters now, when I see people of all ages and diets enjoying meals that are truly healthy and also friendly to animals and the environment. Throughout November we have had soft openings, and the response has been enthusiastic from vegans and omnivores alike.

For me, this is a dream come true. It’s been over 25 years since I performed my first angioplasty and learned that healthy eating can reverse heart disease­­—and now I get to introduce new generations to delicious, beautiful food that also promotes real health. While I still direct my heart attack prevention center daily, GreenSpace Café is my lab for health and wellness that will keep generations away from the hospital.

GreenSpace Café
215 W. Nine Mile Rd
Ferndale, MI 48220
248-206-7510

The post GreenSpace Café: My Journey from the Cardiology Lab to the Kitchen appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Currently, my heroes are Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, featured in Forks Over Knives, and his wife Ann. Recently I got to meet them in depth, and they were even more delightful than I had expected.

Dr. Esselstyn, or “Essy,” as his family calls him, was trained as a breast and endocrine surgeon. He became interested in heart disease when he shared a locker with Dr. Rene Favalaro, a cardiac surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic who performed the world’s first bypass operation. (Lockers were tight, and assigning Dr. E. to share space with Dr. F. changed heart history).

Dr. Esselstyn read about heart disease and was intrigued by populations worldwide who did not suffer from heart attacks (like the people of Papua, New Guinea). He studied their diets and also researched factors that injure heart arteries, such as a diet of processed foods loaded with animal fats and oils.

He concluded that a plant-based diet with no added oils would stop injuring arteries in patients with heart disease and allow them to heal. So in 1985, he recruited a group of heart patients with advanced blockages, some not expected to live a year, and he and Ann taught them to eat in this manner to heal their hearts. His published results indicated the reversal of heart blockages, as evidenced by increased longevity, elimination of symptoms, and even improved sexual function in study subjects. (The disease reversal was later verified on follow-up stress tests and angiograms.)

In 2014, Dr. Esselstyn published the results of new research, extended to a larger group of subjects, and the results were stunning. During the course of the study 89% of the patients were able to adhere to the plant based no added oil diet which is remarkable and encouraging. Those that adhered had an event rate like a heart attack or bypass operation of <1% while 62% of the group that did not adhere to the diet suffered recurrent adverse heart events, a huge difference. Food is medicine, and Essy and Ann proved it.

This summer (2014), Dr. Esselstyn invited me and my wife (an RN and certified nutritional counselor) to attend his monthly immersion, where he teaches patients how to eat a diet that reverses heart disease. We met about 25 people, mostly couples, who had traveled from all over to learn from the legendary Essy and Ann.

Dr. Esselstyn lectured on how arteries are injured by standard diets and healed by a plant-based diet with no oil. His talk was as masterful, and as current and detailed, as any university lecture I have ever attended. He then reviewed nearly 30 years of patient results.

Then he turned the mic over to Ann and their daughter Jane. The pair had dozens of grocery items on display, to teach the importance of reading labels to ferret out hidden oils. They showed new food choices that are oil-free, such as the Engine 2 product line.

We ate a delicious lunch of oil-free burritos, soups with kale, sushi rolled in greens, and fruit. The day ended with testimonials by three local patients whose lives had been extended and improved by this program.

Essy and Ann are my heroes, as they have bucked the traditional medical model of a pill for every ill, and forgone the stents and bypasses … instead teaching thousands of people, previously without hope, that a diet change could heal their woes.

The Esselstyns have not received their deserved accolades at the Cleveland Clinic, even though Ann’s father was a founder of the institution. Instead, they have the love and gratitude of thousands of people worldwide, whose lives they have touched.

Although I had met Essy before, and even lectured with him in Detroit years ago, spending the day with these two incredible people fulfilled a long-held dream of mine. Maybe he was Kale-Man, not Spider-Man, but I was thrilled to spend this time with a genuine hero.

What hero do you want to meet and why?

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In the past few years, I have come to appreciate the power of support groups in strengthening our will to succeed and persevere when we make a decision as momentous as eschewing all animal products. I saw this firsthand in my visit to Pastor Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church in Southern California where, beginning in 2011, the “Daniel Plan” spread a plant-based health message through this massive church. The result? Some 15,000 parishioners collectively shed more than 250,000 pounds in one year. This success was built on small groups of people sharing, celebrating, and comparing notes regularly, as they made major changes in their routines.

Hoping for the same impact for heart patients, I cofounded a program in Detroit earlier this year, teaching plant-based nutrition using group activities. When I was asked to do this, I figured I could round up a dozen or two dedicated heart warriors to meet with once a month. A small article appeared in a local paper, and I also invited all the patients I knew who were seeking to eliminate meat, eggs, and dairy.

On a cold night in February of this year (2014), in a room at my hospital designed to hold 60, people kept streaming in, until more than 130 souls packed the auditorium. To this day, I have no idea where they all came from. I spoke on the scientific basis for preventing heart disease with a whole food, plant-based no-added-oil diet, and several people shared their stories.

Over the following months, our dedicated all-volunteer “PBN” (Plant-Based Nutrition) Support Group scheduled monthly lectures, organized a walking club, and visited restaurants that were willing to prepare a special vegan menu for 20 to 50 people. We also created a website. Our lecture meetings have drawn over 100 attendees every month, often with many new faces, and we quickly generated a list of well over 300 email addresses.

Recently, we stepped up the excitement by having our first out-of-town speaker, Rip Esselstyn, talk to our PBNers. With the help of a bit of advertising by a national grocer, we filled a high school auditorium with over 475 faces, all eager to learn the secrets of thriving with plants in a world dominated by meat eaters. The energy, excitement, and appreciation were amazing.

In less than seven months, many dedicated participants have lost 20 to 40 pounds, reduced or eliminated medications, and developed new eating habits … largely because they shared their journey with like-minded companions. Our group has inspired more people to commit to a vegan lifestyle during this time frame than I had in my entire previous 25 years of practice!

We plan to continue meeting in large groups, to host small-group study sessions, and to celebrate the holidays together.

An African proverb states, “if you want to walk fast, walk alone. If you want to walk far, walk together.” It has been exciting to be involved with a great group of people committed to taking that long, healthy walk together. I encourage you to start up a similar group of your own!

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