[dbussone]

Originally Posted by lanemb

First let me preface this by saying I am a heart patient who at 49 had a heart attack 12 years ago. I am only slightly over weight and had cholesterol levels just below 200.

There is a lot of good information in the book on nutrition and it is fact based. It is also one of the largest studies ever done. Reading it definitely changed my diet habits and provided measurable results. That said it doesn't work for everyone.

The single biggest change I made was eliminating red meat since white meat has 1/3 the fat of red. I also almost never eat processed sandwich meat of any kind. This alone dropped my cholesterol by 75 points. I had tried exercise and other diets and nothing else helped. I have continued this regiment for about 5 years with the cholesterol levels remaining low.

My doctor believes what I am doing has worked for me. I give this book to the heart patients in my life. My own son did not heed the advice and two weeks ago at 43 with a family history, bad diet and being a smoker had a heart attack at 43. Fortunately for him he was staying with me and my wife and I recognized the symptoms early and called 911. Maybe now he will focus on what I have learned worked for me.

I am always open to hear what has really worked for other heart patients. My brother-in-law is a retired doctor and has also made some of the changes based on the book. My doctor says I am lucky. Many of his patients did not find out how to improve their health and cholesterol levels as I did and they are no longer with us.

If you haven't walked in these shoes you are probably not as impacted by reading the book.

I have not read the book. I tend to read the scientific studies themselves rather than the articles about them.

As I have said many times, I believe in moderation in all things dietary. If you study the meta-data, they support a moderate physiological approach.