During the past 30 years, Dean Ornish, MD and his colleagues have conducted a series of scientific studies demonstrating—for the first time—that the progression of even severe coronary heart disease often can be reversed simply by making comprehensive changes in diet and lifestyle. These research findings are published in leading peer-reviewed medical journals.

The Preventive Medicine Research Institute is also a member of the Association of Independent Research Institutes (AIRI, a nationwide association of eighty-nine (89) independent, not-for-profit research institutes. These institutes are an integral part of the United States research community.

Acknowledgement

We remain deeply grateful to the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command’s Office of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) for making the research studies that are described below possible. Our work is described on page 9 of the 2008 CDMRP report and page 14 of the 2007 CDMRP report.  We also appreciate the many foundations and individuals who support our work, without which it would not be possible.

 

Telomerase Study

"Increased telomerase activity and comprehensive lifestyle changes: a pilot study."

Results of this study, published in the journal Lancet Oncology (Lancet Oncology: www.lancet.com), showed, for the first time, that changing lifestyle significantly increases telomerase. Telomerase is the enzyme responsible for maintaining telomere length.  Telomeres are the ends of chromosomes that influence how long we live. This is the first time that any intervention, even drugs, has been shown to significantly increase telomerase. 

For a detailed summary of this study, please click here:Lancet Oncology: Study Summary

For the full text of this scientific article, please click here:Cadmus Communications: Full Text

 

Gene Expression Study

"Changes in prostate gene expression in men undergoing an intensive nutrition and lifestyle intervention." Preceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS): www.pnas.org

In this study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (www.pnas.org), we found that over 500 genes were affected by lifestyle changes.  In fact, certain disease preventing genes were up-regulated, or turned on, and certain disease promoting genes, including oncogenes involved in cancer, were down-regulated, or turned off.  The results of this study suggest that comprehensive lifestyle changes may cause changes in gene expression that could be beneficial to the general population as well as to those with prostate cancer.

For the full text of this scientific article, please click here:Preceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS): www.pnas.org

 

"Lifestyle changes and prostate cancer"
Journal of Urology (PDF)

We examined the effects of intensive lifestyle changes on men with early stage Prostate Cancer after 1 year.  After 1 year, none of the men in the experimental group underwent conventional treatments compared to 6 in the control group.  Prostate Specific Antigen  (PSA)  decreased 4% in the experimental group compared to a 6% increase in the control group, and prostate cancer cell growth was inhibited almost eight times as much in the experimental group compared to the control group.  These results indicate that intensive lifestyle changes may effect the progression of early low grade prostate cancer.

 

"Intensive Lifestyle Changes for Reversal
of Coronary Heart Disease"
Journal of the American Medical Association (PDF)

We examined the ability of patients enrolled in the Lifestyle Heart Trial to sustain intensive lifestyle changes for a total of five years and the effects of these lifestyle changes on coronary heart disease.  We measured adherence to lifestyle changes, changes in coronary artery percent diameter stenosis, and cardiac events.  Outcomes in the experimental group showed significant improvement relative to controls.  Additionally, compared to 1 year follow up, 5 year follow ups showed greater improvement relative to controls. 

 

"Improvement in Medical Risk Factors and Quality of Life in Women and Men With Coronary Artery Disease in the Multicenter Lifestyle Demonstration Project"
American Journal of Cardiology (PDF)

We examined baseline and 3 month medical and psychosocial characteristics of women and men enrolled in the Multicenter Lifestyle Demonstration Project.  Results showed significant improvements in diet, exercise and stress management, as well as improvements in medical and psychosocial characteristics.  These improvements  occured  in spite of gender differences in medical, psychosocial and sociodemographic status.  These results suggest that programs focusing on intensive lifestyle changes can be successfully implemented in diverse regions of the United States, and may be particularly helpful for women with heart disease, who generally have higher mortality and morbidity rates than men after a cardiac event. 

 

"Avoiding Revascularization with Lifestyle Changes: The Multicenter Lifestyle Demonstration Project"
American Journal of Cardiology (PDF)

We examined the potential of intensive lifestyle changes as a direct alternative to revascularization procedures on patients enrolled in the Multicenter Lifestyle Demonstration Project. Results showed that patients in the experimental group were able to avoid revascularization for at least 3 years without increasing cardiac morbidity and mortality.  These changes also came at a significantly lower cost than a revascularization procedure.  These patients also reported experiencing reductions in angina similar to what  was reported after a revascularization.

 

Click on a link below for a list of journal articles

Gene Expression

Cardiac Health

Prostate Health

Health Policy

Ornish D, Hart J. Intensive Risk Factor Modification. In: Hennekens C, Manson J, eds. Clinical Trials in Cardiovascular Disease. Boston: W.B. Saunders, 1998 (companion to the Braunwald standard cardiology textbook)

Billings J, Scherwitz L, Sullivan R, Ornish D. Group support therapy in the Lifestyle Heart Trial. In: Scheidt S, Allan R, eds. Heart and Mind: The Emergence of Cardiac Psychology. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association; 1996: 233-253

Moyers, B. "Changing Life Habits: A Conversation with Dean Ornish." In: Healing and the Mind. New York: Doubleday, 1993

Ornish DM. Heart disease. In: How Your Mind Affects Your Health. New York: Institute for the Advancement of Health, 1990

Ornish DM. Stress and coronary heart disease: new concepts. In: Carlson RJ, Newman B, eds. For Your Health. New York: C.V. Mosby, 1987

Merritt T, Ornish D, Scherwitz L, Billings J, Elliott M, Lipsenthal L. The effects of intensive lifestyle changes on coronary heart disease risk factors and clinical status in self-selected heart patients. Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation. 1995; 15: 353

Gould KL, Buchi M, Kirkeeide RL, Ornish D, Stein E, Brand R. Reversal of coronary artery stenosis with cholesterol lowering in man followed by arteriography and positron emission tomography. J Nucl Med. 1989; 30: 345

Ornish DM, Gotto AM, Miller RR, et al. Effects of a vegetarian diet and selected yoga techniques in the treatment of coronary heart disease. Clinical Research. 1979; 27: 720A

Selected Letters

Ornish D. New Heart Studies Question the Value of Opening Arteries. The New York Times, March 27, 2004

Ornish D. A diet for the heart. The New York Times, November 22, 2002

Ornish D. What if it’s all a big fat lie? The New York Times Sunday Magazine, July 21, 2002

Dunn-Emke S, Weidner G, Ornish D. Benefits of a low-fat plant-based diet. Obesity Research. 2001; 9(11): 731

Ornish D. High-fiber diets and colorectal adenomas. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2000; 343: 736-738

Ornish D. Very-low fat diets. Circulation. 1999; 100(9): 1013-5

Ornish D. Should a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet be recommended for everyone? The New England Journal of Medicine. 1998; 338(2): 127-129

Ornish D. Serum lipids after a low-fat diet. Journal of the American Medical Association. 1998; 279(17): 1345-6

Ornish D. Dietary fat and ischemic stroke. Journal of the American Medical Association. 1998; 279(15): 1172

Ornish D. More on low-fat diets. The New England Journal of Medicine. 1998; 338(22): 1623-1624

Ornish D, Brown SE. Treatment of and screening for hyperlipidemia. The New England Journal of Medicine. 1993; 329(15): 1124-5

Ornish D. What if Americans ate less fat? Journal of the American Medical Association. 1992; 267(3): 362

Ornish D. "Dietary saturated fatty acids and low-density or high-density lipoprotein cholesterol." The New England Journal of Medicine. 1990; 322: 403

Ornish DM, Brown SE, Scherwitz LW, et al. Lifestyle changes and heart disease. The Lancet. 1990; 336: 741-2

Selected Editorials

Ornish D. The Atkins-Ornish-South Beach-Zone Diet. TIME magazine, June 13, 2004

Ornish D. The case for low fat. TIME magazine, August 26, 2002

Ornish D. A diet rich in partial truths. The New York Times, July 13, 2002