prevent or reverse heart disease, everyone reacts differ-
ently and no major dietary changes should be made
without consulting a physician. Dr. Ornish’s diet is not
a replacement for cholesterol-lowering drugs or any
other medications prescribed by a doctor, and is not a
replacement for medically recommended procedures.
It is important to discuss all possible options with a
physician and make all decisions based on professio-
nal recommendations.Risks
Dr. Ornish’s diet is very low in fat and limits meat
and animal product intake to little or none. Many
important vitamins and minerals such aszincand
vitamin B 12 are acquired from these sources in a nor-
mal diet. Without these sources there is a significant
possibility of deficiency. Also, because of the very low
fat allowance of the diet there is some concern that
people on this diet may not get enoughvitamin E,
which is found mainly in nuts and oil. These are too
high in fat to be eaten regularly while on this diet.
Dr. Ornish often recommends taking supplements
while following his diet, and taking a complete multi-
vitamin may help reduce the risk of a deficiency.
Multivitamins and supplements however have their
own risks, especially for pregnant or breastfeeding
women and individuals with medical issues such as
renal disease.Research and general acceptance
The benefits of any diet low in fat that includes
many different fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are
generally accepted. However, some concern has been
expressed about Dr. Ornish’s Eat More, Weigh Less
diet because of dietary deficiencies that may occur due
to the restriction of so many food types. For some
people this cause for concern may outweigh the possi-
ble benefits.
One benefit of the Dr. Ornish diet that he and
other researchers have studied extensively is the possi-
ble prevention or reversal of heart disease in some
people. Dr. Ornish has led many controlled research
studies to test his diet, and published the results in
peer-reviewed journals such as theJournal of the Soci-
ety of Behavioral Medicine, theLancet, and theJournal
of the American Medical Association.
In 1990, Dr. Ornish and several coauthors pub-
lished an article titled ‘‘Can Lifestyle Changes Reverse
Coronary Heart Disease? The Lifestyle Heart Trial’’ in
theLancet. This was the first study to investigate
whether changes in lifestyle alone, without the use of
prescription drugs, could stop the progress of, or evenreverse, coronary heart disease. The patients selected
to participate had severe coronary heart disease and
were divided randomly into two groups, those who
would follow Dr. Ornish’s program, and those who
would follow the usual recommendations for such
patients, including moderate lifestyle changes and
cholesterol-lowering medications, if necessary.
Dr. Ornish’s regimen included a diet very low in
fat and completely vegetarian. It also emphasized
moderate exercise, stress-reduction techniques, and,
for those patients who smoked, quitting. The diameter
of the coronary artery was measured at the beginning
of the study, and again at the end of the study one year
later. For patients following the usual recommenda-
tions for coronary patients, the average percentage of
narrowing was 42.7% at the beginning of the study
and increased 3.4% to 46.1% at the end of the study.
For patients who followed Dr. Ornish’s plan the aver-
age percentage of constriction was reduced 2.2% dur-
ing the period of the study from 40.0% to 37.8%. For
the patients with the most constriction the difference
was even greater.
Since the original Lifestyle Heart Study, Dr.
Ornish and various co-authors have continued to
research how lifestyle changes alone can positively
affect heart disease. He has also done research over
longer periods of time to see if people are able to stay
on his diet and continue to see positive effects. He has
also studied very short time spans to see if improve-
ment can occur very quickly. In 2007 he published a
study in theJournal of the Society of Behavioral Med-
icineshowing that, in as little as three months, hisQUESTIONS TO ASK THE
DOCTOR Is this diet the best diet to meet my goals? Why or
why not?
What special dietary needs do I have that this
diet might not meet?
What types of risk could this diet pose for me?
What type of multivitamin or other dietary
supplement would be appropriate for me if I
begin this diet?
How could I integrate this diet into our family
meals?
How long is it safe for me to follow this diet?
What are the signs or symptoms that might
indicate a problem while on this diet?Dean Ornish’s Eat More, Weigh Less