The American Heart Association estimates that 46 percent of U.S. adults have hypertension and, on average, someone dies of cardiovascular disease every 38 seconds. A 2018 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed the average U.S. adult is nearly obese. A 2017 study revealed that about 45 percent of deaths from cardiometabolic conditions were due to dietary factors.
Andrew M. Freeman, MD, FACC, co-chair of the Lifestyle and Nutrition Workgroup with the American College of Cardiology, explains that the drugs we use to treat heart disease can be wonderful tools, but they don’t really focus on a cure or reversal—they only control the disease.
But drugs aren’t the only option. Stephen Devries, MD, executive director of the Gaples Institute for Integrative Cardiology, stresses the wealth of research focusing on lifestyle and nutrition as the key component for curing or reversing heart disease. The data suggest that a diet filled with vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and predominantly plant-sourced protein offers the best chance for both prevention and treatment of heart disease, as well as benefits for reducing the risk of certain cancers.
Please select this link to read the complete article from the Ohio State Medical Association.