WebMD: "Plant-Based Diet for Heart Health"

Guess more mainstream folks are catching on about a plant-based diet being "heart healthy."

http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/plant-based-diet-for-heart-health

Decent and validating summary of studies pertinent to the topic, although the Med. Diet is often misunderstood.  As Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn has pointed out, it merely slowed down the progression of heart disease in subjects (many still had heart issues later), and doesn't reverse or prevent heart disease as his recommendations have been shown to do.

Athough the article misses the issue of NO ADDED OIL (proven to reverse heart disease), it's still a timely and current article that provides me with additional encouragement to get my book out.  Doing final layout and indexing (have two incredible endorsements I can't publish yet!).  So close...

FYI, Mark

http://www.hearthealthypizza.com

From the article above:

"In an analysis published in 2009 in the American Journal of Cardiology, researchers reviewed 27 studies on the heart benefits of four different types of plant-based diets:

• Vegan
• Lacto-ovo-vegetarian
• Primary plant-based (similar to the lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, but allows small amounts of lean meat)
• Combination diet -- a traditional vegetarian or vegan diet combined with nuts, soy, and/or fiber

The researchers found that people who ate the combination diet decreased their total cholesterol and LDL "bad" cholesterol by 20% to 35%.

Those who ate the vegan diet had LDL decreases of 15% to 25%. People who ate the lacto-ovo-vegetarian and primary plant-based diets had significantly smaller decreases: 10% to 15%.

The researchers also noted that plant-based diets are associated with:

• Lower levels of triglycerides
• Lower concentrations of inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP)
• Lower blood pressure
• Decreased body weight and body mass index (BMI)
• Decreased risk of death from any cause, including heart disease
• Improved insulin sensitivity
• Better blood sugar control in patients with diabetes

The heart benefits of eating more plant foods are well-established by large-scale studies such as the Nurses' Health Study and the male Health Professionals Follow-up Study.

Studies show that people who eat the most fruits and vegetables have a 20% reduced risk of heart disease and a 27% reduced risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, especially stroke.

Further research shows that each 10-gram increase in daily fiber from sources such as whole grains is associated with a 27% decreased risk of dying from heart disease."