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Just three weeks of following the Pritikin® Program can normalize blood pressure and significantly lower a man’s risk of heart disease, says new research published in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association.
Researchers followed 11 obese men attending the Pritikin Longevity Center®. At the end of three weeks, the men reduced their cholesterol by an average of 19%. Insulin levels plunged 46% and glucose fell 17%. All seven men who had started out with high blood pressure ended their stay with normal blood pressure.
What’s particularly impressive is that these dramatic drops took place even though the men had only begun to shed pounds. “You don’t have to wait till you’ve lost a lot of weight to get major reductions in heart disease risk,” states Dr. James Barnard, lead author and UCLA professor of physiological science. “Fortunately, you can mitigate high blood pressure and the risk of a heart attack while, or even before, you shed excess pounds.”
Media Mania
The media and medical community hailed the study’s findings. The day it was published, the American Heart Association sent out press releases. “This is the first time,” notes Dr. Barnard, “that the AHA has recognized the importance of the Pritikin Program.”
Several news wires, including Reuters, sent out releases, producing a tidal wave of calls from journalists, scientists, and physicians to the Pritikin Longevity Center and UCLA. “In the scientific community,” says Dr. Barnard, “there’s a lot of interest in diet and exercise programs like the Pritikin Program that actually have scientific documentation of their success.”
Past studies have demonstrated similar successes with the Pritikin Program. In the early nineties, for example, research on 4,587 men and women in the three-week program at the Pritikin Longevity Center showed an average drop in total and LDL cholesterol of 23 percent and an average 33% drop in triglycerides.**
Oxidative Stress
What makes this latest study in Circulation so important is that it pinpoints the biological mechanisms that explain why the Pritikin® Program is so effective in controlling blood pressure. “For the first time,” notes Dr. Barnard, “we’ve documented that the Pritikin Program reduces oxidative stress.”
The latest thinking on the causes of artery disease has focused on inflammation, or oxidative stress. Oxidative stress refers to the presence of charged particles called “free radicals.” Free radicals can damage the inner lining of your arteries, called the endothelium. An endothelium that’s weakened or damaged is ripe breeding ground for the formation of plaque, which can rupture without warning.
Free Radicals Slashed
In their study of men following the Pritikin Program, Dr. Barnard and his team found that free radicals were slashed by 28%.
Nitric Oxide: Good For The Heart
The scientists also measured nitric oxide availability in the men. Nitric oxide is a chemical released by the endothelium that, in a number of ways, prevents heart disease. It relaxes blood vessels, thus reducing blood pressure. It also prevents cells from building up clots, which can clog arteries.
When the endothelium is suffering oxidative stress, nitric oxide levels diminish. With a reduction in free radicals, nitric oxide returns to healthy, normal levels. At the completion of their three-week stay at the Pritikin Longevity Center®, the men’s nitric oxide availability had shot up 28%. As a result, says Dr. Barnard, “their blood vessels dilated and their blood pressure went down. They no longer needed hypertension medication.”
No More Viagra
“For men,” adds Dr. Barnard, “increases in nitric oxide may also eliminate the need for blood-dilating drugs like Viagra. The Pritikin Program reduces oxidative stress so the endothelium can once again function normally, releasing nitric oxide and other healthy chemicals, all of which ensure that red blood cells flow smoothly, like traffic on an unclogged freeway, to their very important destinations.”
* Circulation 2002; 106: 2530-2532.
** Arch Int Med 1991; 151: 1389
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