THE END of HEART DISEASE - by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.

Page 132) Promoting the view that foods rich in saturated fat, such as meat, butter, and cheese, are harmless requires ignoring an overwhelming amount of evidence linking increased meat consumption to a higher risk of death.

It also requires ignoring much additional evidence showing that saturated fat - rich meals impair endothelial function, raise cholesterol, and lead to populations with higher rates of both heart disease and cancer.

Those who support these false claims have not scrutinized all the evidence on this topic or have allowed their judgement to be impaired by cognitive biases. Plus, multiple international studies now show that heart disease not only can be prevented, but can also be reversed by avoiding animal products. In contrast, not one study shows that the reversal of plaque or elimination of cardiac deaths is possible with a diet high in animal products. Don't believe in fairy tales.

Page 131) There is a strong desire of not merely the producers of meat, butter, and eggs to claim their products are safe, but also the meat - and - butter eating public and media distort and misinterpret information to justify their preferences. Low - carbohydrate, Paleo, and other high - meat diet advoctates proudly tell their followers that this research has exonerated saturated fat and proved that the connection between saturated fat and heart disease was just a mtyh. The overall message is that everyone now has free reign to eat all the meat, butter, and cheese they want with no consequences.

These statements and headlines are sensationalized misinterpretrations of the science. They do a serious disservice to an already nutritionally confused and unhealthy public for whom heart disease and cancer are the leading causes of death.

Page 172) Some authors and advice -givers claim that eating fat is the culprit; others claim that you can eat all the meat and fat you want and the culprit is sugar. The reality is that both excess simple sugars and excess animal products promote atherosclerosis and heart disease. 

Page 19) When refined products are replaced with vegetables, nuts, seeds, and beans, disease rates always go down; and when animal products are replaced with vegetables, nuts, seeds, and beans, disease rates always go down.

Page 17) There is one thing that all powerful, long - term, and large epidemiological studies have in common, and that is the demonstrated benefits from eating more vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds. This common denominator of more plant foods and less animal products is also seen in all the so - called Blue Zones of the world, that is, where the people who have the longest life expectancy live. The population with the longest documented life expectancy in the world doesn't eat any meat at all: the subset of the 7th Day Adventists in Loma Linda, California, who are vegetarians and regularly eat nuts and seeds.

Page 94) Doctors need to make it crystal clear to their patients that food is the cause of, and should be the primary treatment for, heart disease. Everything else is window dressing. Most people who take cholesterol - lowering medications still experience cardiac events, advancement of their disease, and even death from their heart problems.
- by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.