A Vegan Diet Doesn't Reverse Heart Disease After All? 

I had a heart attack and triple bypass surgery in 2001 - then another heart attack in 2013 and then another one in 2016. Then in May of 2019, I heard Dr. Esselstyn's message and immediately started the WFPB diet. I've been on it since then - never looked back. I'm 80 now and my goal is 88. So, between this new lifestyle and my exercise routine, I think I can make it.

My story is that I was having heart afib issues, and high enough cholesterol levels that the doctor said I was going to have to go on statin meds. Instead I watched What the Health and Forks over Knives, and immediately went on a whole foods plant based diet. I started dropping weight, but the crazy thing is that I had this experience about 5 or 6 weeks in. I got up from bed, and I had this "pins and needles" sensation in my chest like when your arm has gone to sleep and the blood starts flowing back into it. It startled me, and I was thinking about going to the emergency room! But then I realized, I felt fantastic, like a big weight had gone off of my chest. Seriously!!! I had my blood checked again, and my cholesterol was EXCELLENT. The doctor said, keep walking or whatever you're doing. No clue. I've dropped about 50 lbs, not all the weight I need to lose but I'll take it. I have so much more energy. And my sleep apnea is completely gone. And my digestion is a million times better. No way I'd go back to a SAD. Whole Foods Plant Based is the real deal. My dear friend went on a strict keto diet and just had a major heart attack and almost died. I wish he'd have listened to me, half his heart is necrotic now.

I had a heart attack 2.5 years ago. My local doctor only thought I was showing signs of a partial blockage, so I was scheduled to see a cardiologist days later. I had major angina following the initial event. When I finally saw a cardiologist, I was already aware of the Esselstyn success stories. I was scheduled for an angiogram. I told the cardiologist to not give me a stent if I was borderline (75% blockage or less). The angiogram showed two 75% blockages, and no stents were given. The cardiologist was skeptical and wrote on my report "He'll be back." Went on the Esselstyn diet. Lost a bunch of weight, reversed my high cholesterol, and over time my angina lessened dramatically. Feeling like I felt in my 20s now, maybe better. Side benefits include an elimination of migraines.

Im only 19 and i have high blood pressure.😢 I have been vegan for 6 days hopefully I can get better and treat animals and the planet better as well.

Like c'mon if a pill did this it would be WORLWIDE NEWS. Oh yeah....it's because no one can make money off of veggies

My husband had a heart attack (and a stroke a few days later; bloodclot) last year and his heart had some problems: thickened heart wall, scar tissue from the heart attack, lower pumpfunction. He became plant based after this and things really got better and even reversed! In the hospital I gave him daily celeryjuice, wild blueberries, greens smoothies with spirulina, barleygrass juice powder, spinach etc. He went of meds very quickly luckily. He started with 7 medications, but now he only uses one aspirin daily. Your body can heal if you feed it with the right foods🍋🥬🍌🥒🍊🍎🍉🥑🥥🍅🥕🥦🥔🍇🍑💪🏼

When Nathan Pritikin found out he had severe atherosclerosis, he did the research and switched to a whole food plant based diet for the remainder of his life. He bequeathed his body to science to verify the state of his arteries... (remember he had advanced disease before) and on autopsy the pathologist who performed it said he had "arteries like those of a child and a heart like that of a young man". So yeah, no question arteries can heal, not just dilate. Too many people just choose to believe whatever echos their preference instead of the evidence based science, so all the proof in the world won't sway them. Though imminent premature death often gets their attention... if they're lucky.

The worst time to have a heart attack is during a game of charades. The second worst time is before you learn about Esselstyns heart disease studies

A well needed video. Sometimes making everything 5th grade level just isn't the right approach. Adults need to understand the science.

I am 69, and recent blood work showed high LDL and my triglyceride to HDL ratio was almost 2 to 1. When your triglyceride number is more than twice as high as your HDL number, you are at much higher risk for heart attack, regardless of what your LDL cholesterol is. Anyway, I was right on the edge of real trouble if I did not change my wicked ways- eating basically a keto diet. I immediately replaced animal protein with tofu and beans and went vegan. After just a few days, there was this clearing of my sinuses and lungs and my whole body felt WONDERFUL! It was a pleasure to breath again, and my whole abdomen was so happy and relaxed! I can literally feel the increased blood flow to all parts of my body, and I can easily believe that a vegan diet can reverse artery damage and restore health, even in someone as old as me. Keep up your great work Mic!

" let's take a break from statistics "....... more like let's have more, the science is piling up just like it did on tobacco

As a 62 year old, who changed her diet to help heal after surgery three years ago, I can personally vouch for the dramatic changes in my body. Switching to a whole food, plant based vegan diet that is approximately 80% raw from a fairly good vegetarian has enabled an unexpected 78 lbs weight loss, reversal of edema/inflammation, tiredness, exhaustion and all the other little issue's that most people associate with age but are in fact dietary choices. Let food be thy medicine and medicine thy food, is very real.

I am a diabetic who used to take insulin. I'm type two but doctors thought I was type one due to the amount of insulin I had to take. I got off all insulin with a vegan diet and I did this with out trying!

Love it when you "nerd out". Those are my absolute favorite videos. 🌱

The super nerdy ones like this are the best ones imo :)

Only Esselstyn patients need comment. Had a Quad bypass. 3 years later a heart attack. Ready to get a Roto blade procedure when I found Dr. Esselstyn. Avoided mechanical intervention. All my cholesterol numbers dropped dramatically and reversed my Type2 diabetes. Working for me. Started last Labor Day!

I had a massive stroke in 2018 at 55. it turned out I had a high BP of 165/120 and cholesterol in the really high 300s. I consulted Dr Google from my hospital bed. Found Dr Esselstyn bought the book and immediately went WFPB now almost 4 years on true to form I exercise 10 miles a day BP is consistently below 110 when relaxed it will be, well below 100 95/52 so it's completely reversed my high blood pressure (atherosclerosis) and the high cholesterol. absolutely everything the book said would happen happened. I feel absolutely fantastic with mountains of stamina. I owe Dr Esselstyn for giving me my life back. I hope to meet him one day to thank him.

We are both in our 80's and still believe in having a strong body and a calm mind. This was an excellent video and we learned a lot from you. We are doing research for our new YT channel that is all about healthy aging. Thank you so much and keep up the great work!

This study changed my life in a different way. A couple of years after going plant based, I changed careers. I am now a Cardiac Echo Tech. ❣️☺️

I went vegan in April and my BP went from 122 / 80 to 93 / 60 after a couple months. I'm having a blast and I haven't felt this good since my early 20s (56 now). Thanks for keeping it real with the data, Mic.

A year ago I was rushed to the hospital twice by my wife(mistake) b/c I thought I was having a heart attack. Thank GOD i didn’t. I was diagnosed with 50% in my mid lad, and 70% distal in my lad. I totally changed my diet to WFPB. I lost 40 lbs in three months. Cholesterol went from 269 down to 178. A1C from 6.4 down to 5.7 bp averages 105-110 over 60-70. WFPB works. I’m not sure about my blockages but I haven’t had one cardiac event since I started WFPB.

Even Bill Clinton said that Esselstyn saved his life with a vegan diet.

Awesome video. I’m 46 years old and I was diagnosed with CAD in July after my CT Angiogram revealed 60-70% (moderate) stenosis in the proximal LAD (aka “the widowmaker”) and 70-99% (severe) stenosis in the distal LAD. I was advised by my first cardiologist to treat it with statins and baby aspirin until I get the usual symptoms that would warrant a catheterization and stent placement. He said, in no uncertain terms, that I’d be needing a stent in the next 1-5 years. I learned about the Esselstyn diet through a functional doctor that I consulted with and have been on it since August 10th. In a matter of 6 weeks my LDL dropped 110 points (142-51) - in 3 months my total cholesterol went down from 217- 87 between statins and the diet. I’m now rolling off the statins and continuing with the diet. I’ve lost around 13lbs (150-137 lbs - I was already in pretty good shape and I’m only 5’5 ish with an athletic build). I got pissed that my cardiologist had nothing to say other than “we achieved our target of getting your LDL below 100, see you in 6 months for a follow up), so I switched to another cardiologist that was covered by my insurance plan. In my initial consultation, he credited the diet as well as the meds, he had never heard of Dr. Esselstyn, and he strongly advised me to get a LH catheterization to determine with certainty whether or not I needed a stent. I scheduled the angiography and then as luck would have it, I got sick so we had to reschedule. Since then I canceled and I’ve been going back and forth about going through with it. Sometimes I’m experiencing palpitations and strange sensations and kind of like a heavy feeling in my chest, and heavy breathing, but no angina. I’ve been working out regularly on the elliptical and I’m not having any difficulty nor am I experiencing any chest pain. I wrote to the Esselstyn foundation re: my predicament, and none other than Dr E. himself called me himself the following day and spoke with me for over 35 min. He was extremely generous with his time and his knowledge. He advised me not to get the LH Cath, it was too risky and he claims that stents won’t really do anything to prevent an incident. I also reached out to another renowned plant based cardiologist, Dr. Joel Kahn, explaining my situation, and he advised to not let my cardiologist push me into getting a stent. In the interim I’m staying the course with the diet, despite some pushback from my wife who clearly just would rather I join the stent flock and eat a diet that at least includes olive oil. She’s miserable, we’re huge foodies and we love to host dinners. The jury is still out as to whether or not the diet is reversing the occlusion, I don’t know when I’ll get another CT angiogram, or a conventional one, I’m hoping to find a cardiologist in South Florida who believes in plant-based nutrition - Dr Esselstyn told me that I’m not gonna find anyone, this will put them out of business!

Awesome video, Mic. Very encouraging when you added those newer angiogram pictures. I have only seen that old famous one over and over.

Dr. Baxter Montgomery was my cardiologist for several years and he’s the real deal! Just being in his waiting room convinced me-you’ve never seen a healthier group of patients. His practice has a fully vegan cafe so you can catch a raw vegan lunch after your appointment. During your visit a nutritionist visit is mandatory and they beat you with a soba noodle if you haven’t gone full vegan 😝

After being put on statins and high blood pressure meds, and pre-diabetc, at 49 yrs old, I went vegan. I never took the pills. 3 months later my Cholesterol went from 248 to 178. Blood pressure normal. I even had a coronary ct scan, came up all zeros. I'm convinced....great video.

*Create a Better World by..........Living VEGAN*

Honestly as someone who became plant-based just 7 months ago and going pretty strong and easy to be honest, after i saw the China study, that’s all I needed. I got my family members who had chronic illnesses (varying forms of cancer, heart disease, diabetes) on a WFPB and all of them are now almost “med-free”. It’s crazy how my whole life I was scared of carbohydrates and was told that lectins in any form will kill me young and you need huge amounts of protein but it just took some researching to come to the realization that it’s hard to go against a WFPB and the data behind it that shows how effective it is to assist with all of the top killers.

Thanks, Mic for wading through all these tests. I am a longtime vegan, 67 soon, active tennis player 5X weekly, feel great/

Awesome video!! Thanks!! After taking Dr.Esselstyn's lectures in the Cornell plant based nutrition certification, I was super excited to see two of my friends drop their bad cholesterol numbers by 100+ points in under 2 months just by eating more like Essy recommends. Also, two guys I dated changed their eating and we both noted massive changes to their erectile dysfunction; hardness, size, and maintaining erection. It works!! 🤘🏻🤘🏻

The amount of detailed work and thorough research you put in your videos are incredible. Thank you!

Such an interesting video. Thank you for posting this video!

What a wonderful video. Easy to digest and quick to the points. Thank you Mic! 👍

Thank you for this video you concluded exactly what I thought you would. I was on a vegan lifestyle for quite a while and I loved it because I could eat chips, oreo's, and a lot of non-animal processed food, and guess what? I put on 27 lbs lol. Then Forks over knives came out and to make a long story short I still am a vegan but no processed food and dropped the 27 lbs. and also my meds. So I am a believer in the WFPB lifestyle. You just got a new sub. Thank you for your efforts. Oh, I'm 70 if that makes a difference.

Love nerding out with you, Mic! Keep the videos coming!

Really appreciate the time and care you put into being so explicit about your own research. Thank you!

Your best video yet, Mic! As far as I know, you are the first to do a fairly rigorous analysis of Esselstyn's study. Much needed. Nothing boring here, not to many of us apparently. Thank you!

Appreciate the specificity and attention. This is why I think it is important for vegans to be very vocal about the difference between whole foods plant-based diets/health benefits of and veganism, the ethos. I went vegan for the animals and was lucky that that involved eating a plant-based diet because my health is awesome since adhering to Esselstyn-like diet (and not so great when I eat vegan burgers and pizza all day lol).

It's always a pleasure to watch your videos. I think it's so great what you do, the time you spend researching, writing and filming...really impressive. I can only say thanks for all you do.

Wow, I love this video. Thank you for all the detailed statistical analysis. I also used this software in college, and I’m a math head and just loved all the explanation of the data.

Jack Lalanne is the pioneer when it comes to diet and training. Just follow what Jack says, and you'll be fine. There is no need to be 100% vegan (but nothing wrong with it if that's your choice). Jack ate egg whites and fish, whole grains, and at least 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. He ate two meals per day. His simple advice regarding nutrition was, "If man made it, don't eat it." His way of saying, "Don't eat processed foods." He called candy, cakes, pies, sodas "garbage". He trained, without fail, 2-hrs per day, 7-days per week, but he always said that the average person doesn't need to train as often as he did. Jack was preaching this stuff from the 1920's. His message stayed consistent for his entire life.

my fav kind of videos! super chill and nerdy. i’m in my comfort zone lol

Thank you for crunching the numbers. I found it interesting. I've been WFPB for 2 years. Will never go back to SAD. I enjoy your videos! I often make "Potato Curry in a Hurry" from your cookbook. Your channel made a positive impact on my life.

Thank you, great information! Also, the design on your shirt showed the videos you were playing in the background as the color is same as your 'green screen' nice touch :)

Hey Mic, I watched this video. I don't agree that this defense actually addresses the central criticism for why we can't say that our diet reverses CVD. I would like for us to have a proper debate on the topic. Danielle Belardo would be happy to join too. What do you say?

Man I’m glad I didn’t have to be the one to explain all that stuff after the 8:00 mark. Stats are not my friend. That 3D model was awesome! Another incredible quality video as usual! Come on YT let’s get this algorithm rolling

Great info! Thanks, Mic!

Loved your data analysis - thank you!

What always floors me is, despite Esselstyn's results, no one is trying to replicate them? You would think such promising data would drum up more interest.

I had high blood pressure for years. It kept worsening no matter what I did. I was on two medications, had left ventricle hypertrophy and long QT on my ECG. I decided to try a Vegan whole food diet. In just two weeks my blood pressure became normal, measured by my doctor. So impressed! Do you really love your steak more than your life and quality of life?

Love this video. Great information, and the added proof of testimonies in the comments.

Thanks I appreciate the tools used and the sharing of data. Not only does that back up the points but also the processes needed to understand. It also helps double check and if the data were ever to go contrary you could know why too. I think that's a win win. Backs up your points but verify as well. Also neat graphics today. ;)

Nerding out haha 🔥🌱

Mic. Nice presentation. You did a good job and can feel good about yourself that you are helping the world in a small way by educating the public on health!

The 3d modeling was really cool and so well designed! Make some more in the future :p

thank you for the video, really interesting i havent heard of the study yet but i will check it out later. Cheers for all the informative yet funny way of yourself and your videos. Shoutout from bavaria :)

Thanks Mic! I think that our bodies are not static, but are always trying to self-heal. The body is far, far more complex than medical science realizes. I don't like mainstream medicine because it treats the body too much like a machine, and it is far too simplistic. "Let's put a balloon in there and inflate it to make more room!" That's just so stupid. I'm sure that those lesions in the arteries can clear, because the body is always moving things around and trying to make things work better. There is a huge amount that is not understood about the body at this point. I'm nearly 69 years old. I've been vegan for 4 months, and really haven't lost much weight, but i'm not very strict.. I'm bit by bit working out how to do it that works for me; but I like the feeling of not being involved with making animals suffer, and getting all the animal hormones, plus the vibrations of fear and depression that would come with eating their bodies. Or the sadness energy that would come with the milk that was meant for the baby calf that was taken from it's mother. This is a conscious universe. Everything is conscious and connected. Much of it for me is that it just feels right intuitively. And i'm not super strict about it. If a muffin has eggs in it, i'm not going to freak out, or if the salad has a bit of parmesan cheese on it, same. I'm just aiming in the vegan direction, and it feels right to me.

I really liked this video, I'd love to see more of this type of content. It reminded me that I should stop procrastinating, though. Ugh.

Good video! Thanks for making it.

Thanks for the break down! It’s always nice to recap studies that are so significant for the plant based diet!!

On the Esseltyn diet along with exercise, a BP med, and prayer since mid January. Dropped 95lbs, blood pressure and heart rate that were hospitalization levels have reduced to normal. 2 to 3 migraines a week to none 🙏.

I love this style video! So good. Personally I don’t need further proof that what happened to my own body after I started eating Esselstyn style... and what’s happened to friends who now follow this protocol. There is no better evidence than the look on my doctors face when he looks at annual blood work like “where did the problems go, and why are you so skinny and blasting through 10 km every morning and now weight lifting and you’re middle aged? This is not how patients normally work.”

Such a great topic! Great content!

Love this video! I really enjoy the nerdier stuff. I can imagine that not everyone does, as it is harder to digest than your other video's. However, I do think you did a great job of making it easier to understand. Statistics are not my strong suit (and following the course while I was still stuggeling with a burn-out did not help with information retention), yet I could still follow you quite well. It might make it a bit easier if you spend a little bit more time on the explanation of the statistical analysis method you are using (it felt a little rushed). Great video, keep on doing the good work. You are amazing

Very interesting video, it clarifies a bit this 'reverse coronary-heart' disease claims. Thanks for your hard work on producing this contents!

Great analysis, thanks Mic. Greetings from Wales :-)

Excellent video and stats explanation. Also good to know!

Thanks for the video. I've seen the same photo of the angiogram improvement used so many times its useful to hear some further evidence.

Great video as always, thanks for new angiogram reversal photos - seeing is believing.. eventually a compilation video of 100s of those reversals would maybe convince someone with CAD to change their ways

I've been watching you For some time Can't stop staring At those oceans eyes

Boom. I hit the notification bell Mike. Good work! Been a fan for a long time.

I'll nerd out with you everyday. Love all your videos!

Mic, the low fat whole food plant based diet does reverse heart disease. But Esselstyn was not the only study. Dr Dean Ornish has also done them. In fact I have trained under Dr Dean Ornish and I have seen angiogram after angiogram of reversal of heart disease. I also know a Dr Shane Williams who treats patients with WFPB diet, one of them a friend who has had his heart disease reversed. Esselstyn's study was a very good study and statistically relevant.

I liked the video about egyptians. It was interesting. I will watch it 100000 times to make up for the people who didn't watch it, no problem.

Great video! Thanks!

All of your videos are amazing Mic! Keep up the good work man!! 🥦

Vegan healed my heart attack damage from 2 heart attacks.

Loved the Egypt video. Please cover other ancient civilizations like the Mayans, etc. There's a ton of evidence that most Mayans ate almost exclusively plants. Also it's so important to make the distinction of what 99% of ancient people ate VS what very unhealthy royals and aristocrats ate!

Thank you for a very interesting video Mic. Keep up the good work.

Excellent coverage young man!! Thank you kindly!!

Hi Mic!

This is exactly what I needed. My mom is currently in the hospital due to heart failure. The doctors and nurses think I'm crazy because I said I'm going to put her on a low fat whole food plant based diet in hope of reversing her clogged arteries. The doctors said the damage is done and there's nothing that can unclog her arteries. She just had a stent procedure on one artery today. She has another artery that's clogged but they couldn't put the stent in that one. I wonder what that artery will look like after a few months on a low fat plant based diet. I have high hope it will open up.

Great video!

Me too: didn't get a notification for this video but fortunately it came up in 'Recommended for you' today. I did open one video claiming to debunk Dr. Esselstyn's work but then I found it was over 1 hour long so I didn't watch it. This video was a bit nerdy as you put it but good to debunk that long debunking video. Thanks.

I had a blockage in one artery . I had a stint last December . My ldl was 110 . The dr gave ma a low dose statin . The day after the stint I quit eating meat. I went WFPB / no oils . 6 weeks later my ldl went down to 27 all my blood work drastically improved . . My cardiologist is plant based himself and he agrees with Dr Esselstyn . I hope to never need another stint

The question remains, however, if the improvement was due to the inclusion or removal of foods. Were the people with CHD following a standard American diet (high in meats, dairy but also really high in processed foods) or a "healthier" version of an omnivore diet? Would people still be able to reverse heart disease through diet (and exercise) even when eating "moderate" (assuming a definition of moderate is provided in the study) amounts of meat, eggs and dairy or is that impossible?

Thank you for all of your hard work! It's much appreciated!

Thanks for the links! I enjoyed your work on this video. I have been WFPB for 4.5 years and have never felt better. I have CVD in my family and this video encouraged me that I'm doing all I can to prolong a healthy life.

I’m 6 years post MI LADA. A serious near death experience that impacted major organ systems. I have been on Esselstyn’s diet plan since, strict, no exceptions. Blood tests: lipid, glucose, haemoglobin, and enzymes are normal similar to an 18 year old. B/P= 110/70. No pain, sob, or other symptoms. However I look terrible and I hate the diet. Cravings are persistent. I am miserable. No way of measuring disease reversal directly without invasive test, but being asymptomatic, one might infer the disease process has been halted. Doctor is satisfied.

Unfortunately I was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, so my plant based diet cannot lower my blood pressure, but no question that it helps! In fact one of the first things my doctors told me was: Go vegan. They got so happy when they learned I already was. So, if eating plant based is better for kidney patients, who are very sensitive to diet, what should that tell all doctors!?

The graphics you made really hit home. No boring at all , Mike thanks

I was diagnosed as having end stage coronary artery disease. I was put on 5 different medications and required a stent. Two years later on Esselstyn's diet I run each day, did not get the stent, no longer have crippling angina, blood pressure is 115 / 75, I am on no medications and my lipid panel is perfect. I don't need to see stats or look at the meta analysis anymore. The whole food plant based diet with no oils has reversed my disease and dam it feels good to have my life back. I still fish and hunt for my loved ones but don't eat animal protein or fats any more. Yeah I miss steak and pan fried fish but I sure don't miss painful angina.

I don’t why but this whole food plant based diet didn’t work for me after tried 4 years. I still feel chest pain when I climb hills or run. Very frustrated about the result.

Can you make a video, for the average person, of how to look up studies? Like how you go about it if you were looking up diabetes or asthma or anything. Like common steps to make. Thanks!

Great stuff Michael

'Nerding out' - :). Yes I did nerd out, good video of course though I let my brain rest and wander when the statistical analysis of dividing by two was on. Good to show again, this way, the value of Dr. Esselstyn's work. The physics of dilation was good to see. Thanks for the new artery images, striking indeed.

I think you were shadow banned. I haven’t seen any notification or recommended videos from your channel in months. This is the first video that popped up in months.

The fact it reverses ED is enough proof for me.

Excellent video sir. Thank you for your good work and for sharing this.

Excellent information. Thank you kindly.