Dec. 16, 1998, edited from AP report on Dec. 16 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Dr. Dean Ornish and colleagues reported a study of 28 patients over a five year period, using his regimen of a vegetarian diet with no more than 10% of calories from dietary fat. The patients in the sample used no drugs and suffered half the rate of heart attacks and similar coronary events, compared to those on conventional care. Conventional care means exercise, no more than 30% of calories from fat, and sometimes cholesterol lowering drugs. The Ornish patients were reported to steadily improve in heart health, while others worsened.
Spokesmen for the American Heart Association warned that the study was too small to allow firm conclusions, and did not include all segments of the population. They also were skeptical that the strict regimen could be followed by most people.
Cryonics Institute