After being on a vegan diet for several years, my cholesterol level still wasn't as low as I thought it should be, even though I'm within the "federal guidelines" (which are deceptively skewed way too high, most likely to favor the continued consumption of animal "products"). My triglycerides improved significantly on a vegan diet, but I couldn't understand why my total cholesterol wasn't much lower. I wasn't consuming any cholesterol, so what was I eating to cause my body to create it? Oil, it seems. Even if you don't eat cholesterol-laden foods, your liver will still produce it, if you include fats (especially saturated) in your diet.
After doing some research, I came across a book by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, that documented his study of severely ill heart patients who, by following an oil-free, plant-based (vegan) diet, stopped and/or reversed their heart disease - very quickly.
It's a compelling finding. He basically got 20 people who were told to go home and die (for whom "conventional medicine" and surgery was not an option) to get their cholesterol under 150 (which he determined was the magic number for cultures without heart disease), by eating differently. (He initially put them on statins, due to their severe disease and the cholesterol number has to be obtained on plant foods only, to get this kind of disease reversal.) Twenty years later, all of the study participants who continued to follow this eating strategy are alive and thriving. Some of the angiogram pictures of before (clogged) and after (not) arteries are pretty phenomenal.
Dr. Esselstyn's own family has also been eating like this for the same 20 years, as a way to prevent the development of heart disease. He basically claims that unless there is some genetic predisposition to high cholesterol, you won't get heart disease eating this way.
I knew what plant-based meant, but what would it mean to go oil free? It means no oils - including what we think of as "good oils" - like olive oil. No nuts (except walnuts for the heart healthy), no coconut, no avocado. Nothing fried, no oil-based dressings - no Veganaise. It's a daunting concept for most of us, but he makes it clear that it's all or nothing in terms of having any effect on our hearts. (There is the inclusion of low quantities of low-fat tofu, so it's practically "fat-free", but not completely.)
His wife has provided some nice recipes in the book, that show the possibilities of eating this way for optimum heart health. But it's admittedly restrictive if you need to eat outside of the home. And I'm not sure that most people - pre-severe heart disease - would be willing to make the commitment.
But it certainly has gotten me to reevaluate my diet. Eating is a continually evolving learning experience, and reading this book left me with the same question I initially had when I went vegan, "Can I really sustain a diet like this?" Ending my participation in unnecessary suffering, as an incentive to dietary changes, made the transition to veganism easy. But eating purely to prevent future clogged arteries and the resulting heart attack or stroke (or even diabetes and certain cancers), doesn't instill the same urgency. Even though it probably should.
The book is a quick read, and I recommend it. On the link I provided, you can also find a link to Dr. Esselstyn's speaking engagements, if you would like to hear him discuss his study, and book, in person.
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3 comments:
I've been following Dr. Esselstyn's diet for about 14 months now and can attest to its dramatic impact on cholesterol as well as triglycerides and weight loss. The drop in my cholesterol occured within the first 6 weeks and cut my total in half, putting it well below Dr. Esselstyn's goal of sub 150. It certainly is not an easy diet to follow outside of the house, but it's actually not all that hard now that I've been doing it for a year now, and I find it impossible to even think about abandoning the diet now. Give it a try for a month and see how it goes.
I have followed the Esslstyn diet for a year and had the same dramatic effects noted by Eric. My total cholesterol fell from 257 to 104 and I lost 47 pounds as well. The best thing about the diet is that one never has to be hungry. You can eat as many plants as you want and not gain weight once you've plateaued. When traveling, it is easy to maintain the diet as long as there's a restaurant with a salad bar (like Ruby Tuesday's) or a good Chinese restaurant that serves steamed vegetables with brown rice. Never go hungry on a diet again.
Very interesting and comprehensive report. Thank you.
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