Heart Attack: Reduce Risk & Avoid Bypass Surgery

Can I reverse heart disease?

If you’ve had a heart attack, or your doctor says you’re dangerously close to one, there may well be a solution.

SUCCESS STORY Avoid Heart Bypass Surgery Daniel Kanouse, 66, and Filomena Warihay, 63 Downingtown, Pennsylvania "When my doctors told me 17 years ago I needed bypass surgery, I said, 'I have a better solution.'" Read More

HEART DISEASE RESOURCES The Primary Cause of Heart Attacks Nearly All Heart Attacks Are Caused by Lifestyle Habits, Not Genes. What you can do to prevent Heart Disease. Read More   CBS-TV's 60 Minutes Exposes the Pritikin Program The highly respected news program follows three men with severe heart disease through the Pritikin Program. Startling results. Read More   The Pros and Cons of Angioplasty and Bypass Surgery Will a Noninvasive Solution like Diet and Exercise Work for You? Read More   Breakfast: Good For Your Heart Mom was right! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Read More   Does Heart Bypass Surgery Work? Important information on Heart Bypass and Angioplasty surgeries. Read More   Read ALL Resources

Most heart disease results from atherosclerosis, which is cholesterol build-up, or plaque, in the artery walls. Many people are able to stabilize and even reverse atherosclerosis.

How did I get plaque in the first place?

Plaque is caused by the piling up of cholesterol, primarily LDL “bad” cholesterol, in the artery walls, resulting in inflammation. The higher your levels of LDL, the more plaque you have, and the more inflamed – and damaged – your artery walls become.

Your LDL cholesterol rises for several reasons. Some factors, such as genetics, age, and gender, are beyond our control. Others we can control. The three key dietary factors that raise LDL cholesterol are:

1. Saturated fats (such as butter, palm oil, coconut oil, meat fats, and milk fats)
2. Trans fats (such as margarine, vegetable shortening, and partially hydrogenated oils)
3. Dietary cholesterol (found ONLY in animal products, not plants)

How does plaque cause a heart attack?

In most cases, plaque ruptures in much the same way a boil ruptures. The rupture then triggers a blood clot that chokes off blood flow to the heart. Without oxygen, heart muscle dies. Plaque that has burst or ruptured has been called the single most common lethal event of the industrial world.

How long does it take to lower my risk of a heart attack?

The good news is that in just three to four weeks, the chances of suffering a heart attack can go way down. Very quickly, plaque becomes far less vulnerable to rupture. By stabilizing plaque, you could very well be lowering your risk of a heart attack by 80 to 90%.

How can I stabilize plaque and lower my risk of a heart attack?

Lifestyle changes can yield dramatic benefits. In over 100 studies published over the last 30 years, the Pritikin Program has been found to lower virtually all modifiable risk factors for a heart attack, including total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein, as well as blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and excess weight.

Daily exercise and a diet that focuses on fiber-rich, unrefined carbohydrates like fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains are the hallmarks of the Pritikin Program. The program also substantially minimizes the intake of heart-damaging saturated fats, trans fats, and dietary cholesterol.

Heart disease is virtually absent in cultures that eat low-fat, fiber-rich plant-based diets like the Pritikin Program, such as the Tarahumara Indians of northern Mexico (1), the Papua Highlanders of New Guinea (2), and the inhabitants of rural China (3). In fact, notes Dr. Colin Campbell of Cornell University in his recently published book on the dietary habits and health of China, hundreds of thousands of rural Chinese go for years without a single documented heart attack.(4)

Can the Pritikin Program help me avoid heart surgery? »

What about reversal of heart disease? Can I actually regress, or shrink, plaque build-up? »

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Pritikin Perspective - Healthy Living Made Easier
Pritikin Perspective is a publication for Alumni of the Pritikin Longevity Center. It is dedicated to helping people make healthy changes in their lives. The articles in this publication should not be considered specific medical advice, as each individual circumstance is different. You are strongly encouraged to seek medical advice before beginning a program of diet and exercise.
Editor/Writer: Eugenia Killoran.

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