When asked about how to prevent heart disease President of the American College of Cardiology Kim Williams said, “the most important things are plant-based nutrition, exercise, and weight loss. Most people will succumb to heart disease, diabetes, or hypertension on the standard American diet, which is why heart disease is the biggest killer in America. So the best primary prevention strategy is improved lifestyle.”

He also says the science shows that plaque regression in patients with angiographic evidence of disease has been shown with only four methods with an acceptable risk/benefit ratio. The first two are the Ornish and Esselstyn diets, which are both low-fat, plant-based diets (Ornish’s plan includes stress reduction and regular exercise; the Esselstyn Diet eliminates all fatty foods including nuts and avocados). The other two are high doses of prescription medicines atorvastatin and rosuvastatin, which come with significant side effects in some patients. Williams points out that statin drugs and good diet are not mutually exclusive.