Can Chronic Diseases Be Reversed?

• Author: Barnard, R. James
• Position: MEDICINE & HEALTH

DESPITE considerable progress over the past half-century in prevention and treatment, chronic diseases remain the nation's leading killer. Cardiovascular disease heads the list, accounting for more than 700,000 deaths annually--about 25% percent of total deaths. Diabetes, meanwhile, officially kills about 70,000 each year, but that number likely is an underestimate; the disease often is an underlying cause of death attributed to other ailments.

According to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, diabetes affects close to half of U.S. adults, with approximately 30,000,000 suffering from the disease itself and over 85,000,000 others at risk for it, with a condition known as prediabetes. Hypertension (high blood pressure) afflicts about 80,000,000.

The U.S. outspend every other country in the world on health care per capita by a wide margin. Despite this investment, we rank 40th in longevity. The economic costs of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes alone will approach one trillion dollars this year.

Over the past 35 years, studies have shown that a combination of exercise, proper nutrition, and a healthy mindset can prevent, control, or even reverse a variety of chronic diseases, including coronary artery disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, certain forms of cancer, and a cluster of related risk factors called metabolic syndrome. We know this literature well, because we conducted more than 100 of these independent peer-reviewed studies with our colleagues at UCLA

Our studies have focused specifically on the impact of the Pritikin Program, which takes a comprehensive approach to lifestyle change, combining exercise, proper diet, and well-being. Program participants eat a plant-based diet, combined with modest amounts of dairy and lean meats. They exercise daily, combining aerobic, strength, and flexibility training in a manner that provides complementary benefits for cardiovascular and metabolic health. Through lectures and workshops, they also learn about the pathogenesis of chronic diseases, how to prepare healthy meals, and skills for maintaining a healthy mind.

A few highlights:

* Lipids. Among 4,587 adults attending the program for up to three weeks, the average decrease in total and LDL (low-density, "bad" lipoprotein) cholesterol was 23%. Triglycerides, or fat circulating in the blood, decreased 33%. Even participants who already were taking statins received significant benefits; their total cholesterol levels...