Eating to Reverse Heart Failure | NutritionFacts.org

An issue of cardiology journal dedicated to plant-based nutrition examines its ability to reverse congestive heart failure.
Attesting to our changing society is an encouraging sign, when an entire issue of a cardiology journal devoted entirely to nutrition — specifically a plant-based diet — without regard for traditional healthcare paradigms. Dr. Kim Williams, past president of the American College of Cardiology, begins his editorial with a quote by philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer: “All truth passes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Second it is violently opposed. Finally it becomes accepted as self-evident.” He states, however, that evidence supporting plant-based nutrition continues to accumulate and that we possess such evidence – however the issue lies with inertia, culture, habit and widespread marketing of unhealthy foods as barriers for change. We must strive to reach both medical professionals and the general public with information that will provide tangible improvements in lives–creating healthier and longer lives as a result. That is my mission in four words. Get out the data. Based on existing medical literature, plant-based nutrition “is clearly the single greatest opportunity available to reverse obesity and diabetes-induced epidemic of morbidity and mortality”, meaning disease and death.
As discussed in my video How to Reverse Heart Failure with Diet, this issue featured numerous heart disease reversal stories – among them was that of a 77-year-old woman whose condition prevented her from walking more than half a block or going up one flight of stairs. She suffered severe blockages in all three main arteries and was advised to undergo open-heart surgery for bypass, but instead adopted a whole food plant-based diet including all vegetables, fruits, whole grains, potatoes beans legumes and nuts as a means of relieving her symptoms. Even though “she described her former diet as being healthy Western fare,” after switching to plant-based, “her symptoms had nearly resolved”–she even forgot about walking blocks every day! “She was able to walk for up to 50 min without experiencing chest discomfort or dyspnea – feeling out of breath – on a treadmill without becoming out of breath or experiencing dyspnea, becoming out of breath or her cholesterol dropping about 100 points from approximately 220 mg/dL (5.7 mmol/L) down to 120 mg/dL (3.2 mmol/L). Her LDL levels also dropped below 60 mg/dL (1.5 mmol/L).” Four to five months later, she must have started craving her previous eating habits of chicken, fish, low-fat dairy and animal products and returned back to them. Within weeks, with no change to her medications or anything else, her chest pain returned and she ultimately underwent the operation to have it sawn open again. Even after this surgery was performed, however, she continued with her original diet that contributed to causing disease progression; further worsening it further still.
Another case reported in the journal had a happier outcome, starting out similar: A 60-year-old with severe chest pain after walking just half a block decided to take charge of his health destiny and switch to a whole food, plant-based diet instead of his prior “‘healthy” diet of skinless chicken, fish, low fat dairy with vegetables fruits nuts-a diet which had been strangling his heart. Within just weeks he experienced amazing transformation: From being completely inactive and barely walking one mile before gradually increasing exercise capacity until finally being able to jog over four miles (6.4 km), all without need for medication or surgery-and living happily ever after without symptoms whatsoever!
Case reports may seem convincing enough; what we really need are controlled trials to show that heart disease can be reversed with lifestyle changes alone and without medication or surgery. But in actuality, one was conducted decades ago which demonstrated this exact scenario, with 82% of participants experiencing their angiographically confirmed heart conditions being reversed through lifestyle modifications alone; so these case reports simply serve to remind us of an established fact – hundreds of thousands still die from heart conditions that were demonstrated as reversible decades earlier!
Case reports often present novel results in order to generate interest among researchers for trials that will put these theories into action, like this report on using plant-based diet for congestive heart failure rather than simply coronary artery disease. In this instance, the heart muscle itself had become weak enough that it couldn’t effectively pump blood from its main chamber into circulation; at most it could only expelling around 35% per beat; normally at least 50% should leave this chamber on every heart beat. Just six weeks after switching to a whole food plant-based diet — instead of opting for chest surgery – one patient found his heart had improved considerably, according to researchers. “To our knowledge, this is the first reported improvement of heart failure symptoms and left ventricular ejection fraction after adopting such an approach; nevertheless, its findings could well become commonplace over time.” The first case doesn’t make this trend irreparable!
An obese 54-year-old diagnosed with type 2 diabetes presented with swelling ankles as the result of her heart failure, so she altered her diet from chicken and fish-rich dishes to include whole plant foods instead. She adopted healthier eating practices, lost 50 pounds, and reversed her diabetes–meaning normal blood sugars on an ordinary diet without using medication for it. Her heart function also improved dramatically from an anemic ejection fraction of only 25% to normal; you can see this below and at 5 minutes and 5 seconds into my video. Since there wasn’t an randomized controlled trial, all we can say for certain is that her improvements coincided with adopting a plant-based whole food diet. But, “in light of its prevalence as a leading cause of death and its poor prognosis (ie it usually worsens over time) as well as evidence to date, given these burdens [heart failure being one of them], it may be beneficial to add plant-based diet as part of multifaceted care approaches for heart failure treatment.” Given it can reverse coronary artery disease too, any additional benefits would simply be an added advantage!

Now we need healthcare “practitioners to support patients in transitioning towards plant-based eating.” Luckily, my video below and at 5:42 provides excellent suggestions that healthcare practitioners can implement with patients.

Doctors, for instance, could employ Plant Rx pads made available through the Plantrician Project as well as recommend useful websites like NutritionFacts.org shown at 5:50 in my video.

While fundamental diet changes might not appeal to everyone, millions of intelligent individuals striving to preserve their health have taken half-step measures that may only provide modest improvements, like choosing leaner cuts of meat or choosing reduced-fat dairy products….Most people lack both time and expertise necessary for critically reviewing biomedical literature themselves – yet don’t deserve honest and forthright advice when their lives may be at stake.” For their part, those wishing to ignore or implement only some advice have full freedom.
Do you wish to smoke cigarettes or attempt bungee jumping? Whatever decision is made is ultimately personal; every individual makes choices as to what and how we eat, with many becoming conscious about potential outcomes of our decisions and acting knowingly with regards to potential results of actions taken.
Did I say reverse coronary heart disease, the number one killer of men and women today? Yes. And here is where my videos can help: How Not to Die from Heart Disease is an excellent place to begin; I also support The Plantrician Project at plantricianproject.org with which they continue their great work:rov Button(F,B,E,V,N,T&S).
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