Important research has provided findings that are significant in demonstrating the power of diet in reversing heart attacks. The 1992 report did not measure regression, but instead examined the important question: subsequent heart problems in heart attack survivors.
Patients in the experimental group were given a specific diet that strongly turned them in the direction of vegetarianism. Meat and eggs were not allowed. Their description of the diet protocol sounds essentially vegetarian, as it is described as "containing fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts", although a certain amount of fish is allowed. Among the heart attack victims in the study (over 400), those on a special diet saw a drastic reduction in the total number of heart problems.
In just 6 weeks, people on a near-vegetarian diet showed a significant reduction of 35% in the total number of occurrences of heart problems, which included fatal and non-fatal heart attacks as well as sudden cardiac death.
The report indicates that dietary changes are superior to medication for a person who has had a recent heart attack, which is astounding to the medical community. One of the most widely advertised drug groups in this regard are beta blockers and ACE inhibitors. They are only half as effective as a vegetarian diet, with an average reduction in total mortality of only about 20%.
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