Customer Reviews

The Cure for Heart Disease: Truth Will Save a Nation

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Dr. Lundell is a cardiac surgeon and a scientist with 5,000 cardiac surgeries under his belt. He is trying to get a message, (with a lot of science behind it) out there. While this message has been "out there" for some time, he makes a more specific case in regards to cardiac health and disease and brings his personal experience and perspective to it. In short, he says that inflammation is the main cause of cardiac disease and that our focus should be on that. In order to reduce inflammation he says everyone should:

1.) Consume more essential free fatty acids, particularly omega 3 fatty acids. He states that there are 4,500 articles that come to this conclusion about the benefits of omega 3 and that some countries like Japan have taken this seriously. The main type of omega 3 we need is EPA and DHA and both come from fish and marine algae, and he suggests only using high concentration purified fish oil with atl ealst 500 mg EPA and DHA. You can test it by putting it in the freezer. If it gets cloudy it has too many impurities. Dr. Barry Sears says the same thing (and sells it on his website).

2. Add CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) to your diet. The body cannot synthesize it so you need to get it from dairy products and meat. CLA has shown to be: a significant antioxidant, increases energy, improve insulin sensitivity, anti-inflammatory (a natural Cox 2 inhibitor that may increase the synthesis of the anti-inflammatory prostaglandins), reduces the production of cytokines, reduces abdominal fat and preserves muscle mass. It has also been shown to be anti-atherogenic. CLA works better when there is adequate omega 3 in our system and vice versa. The benefit of having both is synergistic.

3. Take a baby aspirin (81 mg) once a day. Studies show benefit against chronic low-grade inflammation (it is a non-steroidal anti-inflammation drug).

4. Consume a lot of anti-oxidants.

5. Lower your sugar and carbohydrate consumption

6. Reduce stress to reduce hormone production by adrenal glands. (Exercise, meditation, reading, taking a drive... whatever works)

7. Eliminate transfats completely, which includes hydrongenated vegetable oil (totally or partially) margarine, commercial baked goods, restaurant fried foods. They interfere with normal metabolism of omega 3. Transfats replace normal fats in the cell wall and interfere with function. Other fats, including animal fats, olive oil and coconut oil are healthful in small quantities.

8. Go on a high protein, low carb, med fat diet, but make sure it is the right fat, like olive oil or coconut oil. He sees sugar and refined carbs as a large cause of inflammation.

9. Lose weight if you need to, quit if you are smoking.

10. Exercise daily. Start slow and don't stop.

11. He recommends lots of vegetables, fruit and protein (meat and dairy is fine) but his emphasis is on avoiding the carbohydrates and the wrong fats.

This advice is for everyone, not just people with coronary disease. Everyone has damage already.

He recommends health screening options so that you know your status, get motivated and stay motivated:

1. Test your CRP (C-reactive protein) The lowest risk is 1.0 or below. Above 3.0 and you are in sig. risk category for coronary disease. You can ask your doctor to measure it. Soon it will become standard because it is a better predictor than LDL.

2. Test your homocysteine levels. High leveles indicate low levels of critical B vitamins esp. B12 adn B9 (folic acid). A lot of vegetarians are low in B12; this could be a bigger risk factor than previously realized.

3. Test your omega 3 index, which measures the amount of omega 3 in the cell walls of your red blood cells. Dr. Lundell offers for you to contact him at his website and he will arrange for it for you as it is not common yet.

4. Have a stress echo and stress nuclear scan performed. You can request these tests.

5. Get a CT or MRI scan of your coronary arteries (MRI is better).

6. Have a carotid ultrasound performed. It is also a surrogate marker for coronary disease. It measures the thickness of your artery wall and the ratio of the intima to the media. It is referred to as CIMT (carotid intimal to medial thickness).

It was a mistake to present this book with the paid writer playing the curmudgeon arguing with Dr. Lundell throughout... I think it got in the way of the material. In my opinion, this book should have been put together with a professional writing style, like most books on disease are nowadays and it should have been organized... it doesn't have an index and takes forever to find something or find if something is missing. Actually, what seemed to be missing was a clear framework or list of what dietary recommendations Dr. Lundell has in mind. He talks about diet, but it is scattered here and there and I had to go over and over it to pick up his points on diet to make sure I understood him.

I don't know if I missed it but I don't think there was anything about CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) supplements. He talked about the importance of CLA and that with a diet of dairy and meat we do get CLA, but he didn't say anything about supplementation. That would be important for vegetarians and vegans. There has been some research on high inflammation in vegetarians, which would have helped to make his case. Actually, it would depend on what they actually ate... probably most vegetarians are on a high-carb low-protein diet (even if they don't think about that way); very few are on a low-carb diet because that would be another restriction of a restricted choice diet... and it would be difficult to be on a vegetarian high-protein diet (that would probably entail consuming 1 1/2 12-ounce blocks of tofu or more per day... which would total 75 gm of protein). I would have been interested in Dr. Lundell's opinions and I believe it would be extremely relevant as a lot of people are leaning towards vegetarianism nowadays for a lot of reasons. As I mentioned before, vegetarians are often B12 deficient which he mentions as another risk in regards to cardiovascular health.

It would have been interesting to know Dr. Lundell's opinion suggested supplements for people with heart disease recommended by Dr. Sinatra, a cardiologist (not a cardiac surgeon).

I think his observations and synthesis of medicine and science in regards to cardiac health and disease are pretty profound and should be taken seriously.

As a Registered Dietitian with a PhD in Nutritional Sciences, I was intrigued by Dr. Lundell's book title. In my years of clinical practice, I counseled umpteen patients with heart disease, and usually several other co-existing medical conditions. I knew from experience that the traditional "low-fat, low-cholesterol" and subsequently high-carbohydrate diet was not the answer.

My minor of study for my doctoral degree was microbiology and immunology. Though I did not have the surgeon's perspective to see the inflammation in the cardiac system, other physicians and I discussed the inflammatory hypothesis that Dr. Lundell defends in this book. It makes scientific sense. His book provides convincing evidence to this effect. Scientific peer-reviewed journal publications are cited in the thorough annotated bibliography in the appendices.

More importantly, for the lay person, this book provides excellent practical tips for conforming to the lifestyle that Dr. Lundell recommends. That is to say, actual guidelinees and strategies for grocery shopping, recipe adjusting, meal planning, eating out in restaurants, and supplementation are clear and helpful. Dr. Lundell's "Inflammatory Quotient" food pyramid diagram is a simple way to represent the nutritional lifestyle changes necessary to prevent heart disease.

In summary, "The Cure for Heart Disease" is a worthwhile read and a healthful guideline for this American epidemic.

--Jennifer Muir Bowers, PhD, RD

My Grandfather died at 43 - Heart Disease, My Dad died at 61 - Heart Disease. I am now 48 and do not want to be #3. The Cure for Heart Disease helped me understand that there are simple things that can make a significant difference in my health. I do not have to be part of the Heart Disease lottery. Genetics may matter but action is the key. I recomend this book to everyone, but particularly to those who have had a history of heart disease in the family. As Dr. Lundell says "Intelligence is the wise use of knowledge." Read this book!

This book is absolutely life changing. I remember when eggs, butter, and meat (saturated fat and cholesterol) were blamed for heart disease. Now the truth is slowly coming out. Years ago I tried Atkins and lowered my cholesterol and triglycerides. My good cholesterol even increased. I confirmed in my own body that Atkins was right. Eating a high protein, animal based diet was a healthier choice. Well, Dr. Lundell takes over where Atkins left off, with the addition of fresh fruits as well. Read this book and share a copy with everyone you love. Its gonna be a long time (due to the profits of the statin drug companies) before you'll ever see any front page news that tells the truth about the cholesterol myth and its association with heart disease. Listen to Dr. Lundell. Enjoy!

I found this book to be enthralling and I've bought more copies to give to friends and family. Anyone who is concerned about heart disease should READ THIS BOOK!! It will change your life.

This is an amazing book! I have bought copies for all my family and friends. Dr. Lundell has given the world a book that is easy and fun to read with information on how to live longer and be healthy in easy everyday ways. I highly recommend this book to everyone! Thank you Dr. Lundell for your research and wisdom.

I recently lost a dear friend at the age of 51, my age, to heart disease. It's time that America had a wake-up call. This book is it. As a spiritual Counselor and Life Coach, I know that good health is one primary aspect of finding inner piece. Dr. Lundell and Todd Norstrom have created a book that teaches us how to take control of our lives and become healthier, happier beings. It's a "must read" for everyone who desires to become free and healthy. Wanda Marie, Author of Living Inner Peace.

I gave this book only 4 stars, because, although I liked the content, I found the writing style annoying. Apparently it was written for either small children or stupid people. The first 1 1/2 chapters read like one of those internet ads designed to entice you by telling you that, if you do what we say, it will make you thin, or remove your wrinkles, or whatever; Just click here and give them your credit card number. Well, I already bought the book, so don't spend the first 49 pages of the book teasing me. Tell me up front what you're about. That being said, once the book got rolling (around page 52 or so), it got a lot better. Dr. Lundell's science is dead on. And, he is absolutely right about butter, and animal fat being healthy. Virtually all of the information we have suggesting a role for saturated fat in cancer and heart disease is from studies that included trans fat, such as vegetable shortening, lumped in with the rest of the saturated fat. When only naturally occuring saturated fats like tropical oils and animal fat are used, the results are not the same. If you want to know more about this, look into Dr. Mary Enig's books. Know Your Fats : The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils and Cholesterol or Eat Fat, Lose Fat: The Healthy Alternative to Trans Fats (Yes, I am a Doctor too, but I do not personally know Dr. Enig).

In summary I recommend this book highly. It might be better with a rewrite, but oh well.

Having had a heart attack in 1989, I have been following the low cholesterol plan for 20 years; i.e. low fat diet, statins, etc. I have always been convinced that my heart attack was due to stress -- I lived a very high stress life, though my friends and I said I managed it beautifully. A book provided by my cardiologist showed me I was managing it terribly.

The book by Dr. Lundell presents convincing evidence that all of the cholesterol talk is virtually irrelevant. I had high cholesterol but it was the stress that got me. My diet was crummy but the problem wasn't the fat -- it was the carbs.

Jim B.

I bought this book, because I have a dear friend with a history of heart disease. I read it (it's a quick read) and then gave it to him. We both thought it was great. I was worried it might be too technical (neither of us are doctors) but it was not so at all. It's a great, easy read and full of information NOT just about the heart but about the health of our entire bodies. Great Christmas gift idea!!