Simply, unprocessed food and drinking plain water (not pure as in distilled but with sufficient electrolytes in it).
But the greatest impact would be lifestyle changes in general. You cannot just diet your way out of a heart disease.
Well, maybe this population [0] of subsistence farmers will give you a hint.
In the modern world it is an uphill battle. And there are some people with hypocholesterolemia [1] who will have arteries in near pristine condition despite living a modern (unhealthy) lifestyle.
There are two broad strategies here which can be combined:
(1) Adhering to (strict) rules which will consume your resource of willpower. A very effective one: Don't drink sugary drinks. An unconvenient one for most people: Don't eat out.
(2) Modifying your modern environment to such an extent that it resemble choices humans made before the modern lifestyle i.e. a lot of physical activity, offline times, no processed food, being outdoors (e.g. a garden). To reap the benefits from both a modern lifestyle and a lifestyle we are evolutionary adapted to, this of course will cost you money in a crowded city and (unpaid) time you would otherwise use for earning money.
These findings suggest that coronary atherosclerosis can be avoided in most people by achieving a lifetime with very low LDL, low blood pressure, low glucose, normal body-mass index, no smoking, and plenty of physical activity. The relative contributions of each are still to be determined.
wrt (1), when I was first learning the troglodiet, I leaned into being a foodie. Switched my outlook from giving up the foods I liked to finding and embracing new foods to love. Some examples: sampling all the olive oils to see what I liked, getting fresh herbs and spices, noshing on excellent produce, using tasty sea salt vs table salt.
wrt (2), for health reasons, I've had to severely simplify my life, especially food prep. That means lots of soups, chili, and porridge.
So now I've got two pressure cookers and bins of bulk foods. Just toss some rice, beans, stock and whatever veggies I have into the pot.
There was a transition phase of learning and habit forming.
Ditto casseroles.
(I'm still working on my protein strategy. Right now it's typically roasts and pulled pork.)
Look up Dr Caldwell Esselstyn. He’s a doctor at the Cleveland Clinic who has consistently used diet to reverse his patients’ heart disease. It’s a low fat, low salt plant based diet. Dr McDougall is another. They both have a number of papers on the subject.
Edit: I’m not sure if McDougall’s papers are specifically on heart disease, actually, and can’t look it up conveniently at the moment. But he’s covered the topic in great depth.
This is essentially how I eat except for the salt, if I don't get quite a bit of salt in my diet I feel horrendous. But otherwise I'm usually at somewhere around 75-80% calories as carbs. Oats, lentils, peas, beans, tons of veggies. Instant pot all of it. At first I was scared about low protein but I'm fugging shredded and have great workouts.
The answer you are looking for is no. No one can translate this into what humans should eat to avoid heart disease, that will require a ton more research. We still haven't even figured out whether eggs are good or bad for you.
> However, 49% of industry-funded intervention studies reported conclusions that were discordant with study results (ie, net cholesterol increases were described as favorable in the articles’ stated conclusions), compared with 13% of non–industry-funded studies.
I can definitely believe that the average American should probably keep eating eggs since they are better than the average American's egg replacement (more refined grains, sugar). But that doesn't mean eggs are part of a diet that minimizes CVD risk, for example. I think we often confuse the two facts.
I think a good summary of the things that most people agree on to some extent is Michael Pollan's advice from The Omnivore's Dilemma (2006): "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."
Obviously there are a lot of details to fill in, but the first part boils down to avoiding processed foods. The other two are pretty straightforward.
As mentioned by others, physical activity and stress management are just as important, and social connections tend to be positively correlated with health as well.
I think the problems come in when you realize how many people pushing specific diets have agendas beyond health, as well as the fact that there is no specific diet that is perfect for everyone.
Whole food vegan diet. My cholesterol went down 20 points in a bit more than a year. Bracing for the oncoming cholesterol apologists... My doctor says that vegan diets are unequivocally better for the heart according to the literature.
it's less about what foods to eat and more about eating much less: one modest-sized meal a day. that's all we "need". we eat too much of everything and our bodies are not evolved for such excess. this is literally the biggest bang for buck for chronic diseases like this, but also the hardest thing to do because of socio-cultural considerations. it also takes some time to train your digestive system down to that level.
once you have amounts under control, then you can taper off the processed foods, especially sugary things like soda/juice (fruit is ok because it comes with fiber), salty things like chips/frozen dinners, and bread/rice products (a little whole grain here and there is ok). minimize processed foods but don't worry too much about the mix of foods otherwise (protein/fat is fine, just don't overeat).
then taper up anaerobic exercise to 2-3 times a week. find a sport or activity you like (e.g., tennis) and pay for an organized league/class so that you stay committed. (aerobic) walking, for instance, is not typically strenuous enough for your body to process the excess nutrients and improve cardiovascular fitness, which is what's needed to help keep heart disease under control. you can start with walking if you're in bad shape, but you'll want to graduate to anaerobic exercise as soon as you can.
The best thing to do is go on walks. Walking and getting your heart rate up to 120-ish not only is shown to help slow or stop the progression of Aatherosclerosis, it also helps prevent clots from forming in your legs and causing serious issues elsewhere. The only other advice is to avoid excess in your diet.
Vegetables and fruits. Less meat, especially red meat. Less fat. Especially reduce saturated fat. No refined sugar. Reduce salt. And: Exercise. Cardio sport . Increase muscle mass. And reduce stress. But most important: go to the cardiologist, take your meds, adhere to their advice.
By decreasing your chances to die from heart attack fast and without much pain, you are increasing your chances of long and painful death from cancer..
A bit misleading to register a domain with an unbiased-sounding name, like nutritionfacts.org while being a Seventh-Day Adventist, whose mission is to convert the world to vegetarianism, and being on the board of The Vegan Society.
What you’re saying seems untrue to the point of being disingenuous.
Op claimed that a vegan diet (a much stricter diet than “eating vegetables”) can reverse atherosclerosis to the point of not needing surgery (a much stronger claim than “is healthy”), and for that, very much yes, citation needed.
OP didn't claim a vegan diet, "plant-based" (the link even says "more plant-based") in virtually no possible definition translates to vegetarian. A full blown strawman :D
Anyway, a two minute Google search can even find some US-friendly related material (but probably someone could be able to say that Harvard is a vegan-soviet-wokist psyop, one could never know...)
"The best diet for preventing heart disease is one that is full of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, fish, poultry, and vegetable oils; includes alcohol in moderation, if at all; and goes easy on red and processed meats, refined carbohydrates, foods and beverages with added sugar, sodium, and foods with trans fat."
Four patients were placed on a vegan diet in 1977. Three of them adhered to the diet and experienced a reversal of the disease (an improvement in their symptoms), while one patient saw improvement but later switched back to a regular diet, resulting in a return of his symptoms.
Esselstyn CB Jr, Gendy G, Doyle J, Golubic M, Roizen MF. A way to reverse CAD? J Fam Pract. 2014 Jul;63(7):356-364b
In a study involving 198 patients with cardiovascular disease, 89% adhered to a plant-based diet, eliminating dairy, fish, and meat while adding oil. These adherent patients experienced only one recurrent cardiac event (a stroke), resulting in a low recurrence rate of 0.6%. In contrast, 62% of nonadherent participants experienced adverse events. This suggests that intensive counseling on plant-based nutrition can be successful in reducing cardiac events and warrants further testing in broader populations to address the cardiovascular disease epidemic.
The Nurses' Health Study: This long-term study, conducted by Harvard University, has examined the dietary habits and health outcomes of thousands of nurses over several decades. It has consistently shown the health benefits of vegetable consumption
The Framingham Heart Study: Another long-running study, the Framingham Heart Study, has looked at heart disease risk factors and health outcomes in a large population. It has demonstrated the positive effects of a diet rich in vegetables on heart health
Plant-based Diets Improve Cardiac Function, Cognitive Health
The EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) Study: This study involves multiple countries in Europe and has provided significant evidence of the health benefits of plant-based diets, including lower risks of cancer and chronic diseases.
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Trial: While not exclusively focused on vegetables, the DASH trial emphasizes the importance of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables for managing blood pressure and overall health
Source? The link you've provided doesn't say anything about it.
> While vegan science might have grounds for debate
Scientific disciplines specifically focused on veganism or vegetarianism do not exist.
Edit: It's not about nutrition; it's the ultimate hack to protect biodiversity, which is being driven to extinction by our agricultural practices, and to safeguard our society from collapse. As such, it belongs here. Lately, it seems to me to be more important than the newest JavaScript frameworks. You're welcome to spend some time in my post history and read on.
You may benefit from learning about the importance of red meat and dairy in human development. Stringently depriving children from these nutrition sources should probably be considered child abuse alongside childhood obesity.
While red meat and dairy can provide certain nutrients, it's important to emphasize that a well-planned plant-based diet can also meet children's nutritional needs.
No adult mammals need milk to be healthy. Children who drink mother's milk are, of course, following a vegan diet.
American Dietetic Association
"It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes."
NHS UK
"A vegetarian or vegan diet can be suitable for everyone, regardless of their age."
British Dietetic Association
"[I]t is possible to follow a well-planned, plant-based, vegan friendly diet that supports healthy living in people of all ages, and during pregnancy and breastfeeding."
> Source? The link you've provided doesn't say anything about it.
In academia one is supposed to list commercial conflicts of interests, but no one asks to write down the author's religious affiliations. Just search all the organisations Greber is part or founding member of, and notice how many are affiliated with SDA. It is well-known at this point that most of the research in vegetarianism is sponsored by Seventh-day Adventists.
Again, this time I'm not here to discuss the shoddy science of demonising meat and animal fat. I just want to point out that when a theory becomes a tenet of your religion, there is not much scientific discussion to be had.
- Ad Hominem: Attacking the author's religious affiliations instead of addressing the research. No proof of such affiliations, btw. Example: "No one asks to write down the author's religious affiliations."
- Guilt by Association: Associating the individual with a group (SDA) to which they may not belong or identify with is misleading and serves to further discredit the argument, as it’s based on false premises.
- Conspiracy Theory: Suggesting that most vegetarian research is sponsored by Seventh-day Adventists without evidence. Example: "Most of the research in vegetarianism is sponsored by Seventh-day Adventists."
- Straw Man: The comment misrepresents the argument by suggesting that anyone who supports vegetarianism or has religious affiliations cannot engage in scientific discussion. Example: "When a theory becomes a tenet of your religion, there is not much scientific discussion to be had."
- Generalization: Making a sweeping and unsupported claim about all research related to vegetarianism. Example: "Notice how many are affiliated with SDA."
- Appeal to Motive: Assuming that the author's religious beliefs automatically taint their scientific research. Example: "It is well-known at this point that most of the research in vegetarianism is sponsored by Seventh-day Adventists."
In constructive and respectful debates, it's essential to address the actual scientific evidence and arguments rather than resorting to personal attacks, conspiracy theories, or logical fallacies. These tactics detract from the quality of the discussion and hinder productive dialogue.
That sounds like a pretty extraordinary claim that I haven’t heard before. Can you link the relevant papers? I couldn’t find citations in the links you provided.
Not the op, but Gregor’s videos are nearly always a review of a bunch of papers on a given topic. If you watch the videos, you can generally get the references and find them on scihub or whatever source you prefer.
