Many doctors are aware that a low-fat vegetarian diet can reverse heart disease and provide other benefits; however, they mistakenly think that patients will not make the transition. Now, there are at least four studies published in scientific journals showing that patients can and do adapt to a strict diet that dramatically improves their health. The new paper is titled, Acceptability of a low-fat, vegan diet compares favorably to a Step II diet in a randomized, controlled trial.

For people battling overweight and heart disease, a vegetarian diet can be a life-saving prescription, says Neal D. Barnard, M. D., lead author of the article and president of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. This new study shows that patients transition smoothly to a plant-based diet that allows them to eat to satiety and yet still lose weight. Patients are willing to make major changes in their eating patterns because they get major results such as lower cholesterol and reduced hypertension.

The study group was composed of well-educated, postmenopausal, overweight women. They were divided into two groups: one was assigned to the low-fat vegetarian diet, and the other group followed a control diet. In addition to losing significantly more weight, 89 percent of the women assigned to the low-fat vegetarian diet said they were feeling mostly or completely used to the diet at 14 weeks and 86 percent said they could continue with the vegetarian diet at least most of the time in the future.

A study published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that a vegetarian diet emphasizing almonds, soy, and other healthful foods was essentially as effective at lowering cholesterol as a statin drug (Jenkins et al 2003; 290:502-510).

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Obesity is nearing epidemic proportions in the developed world. The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide, with 2003 World Health Organization estimates that over 300 million people are affected. Since 1980, the number of adults in the US has doubled and the number of obese teens has tripled. Obesity is associated with an increased risk of serious metabolic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, stroke, dyslipidemia, and osteoarthritis. Approximately 300,000 deaths per year are attributed to being overweight or obese. Obesity exerts a significant burden on the health care system.

Diet and exercise alone have failed to treat this growing epidemic. Currently approved pharmacological therapies for weight loss have had limited success due to insufficient efficacy and burdensome, unpleasant side effects and safety concerns. New therapies with improved tolerability and fewer side effects are needed not only to treat obesity, but also to prevent the significant co-morbidities associated with it, such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

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