Dr. Esselstyn's Story
It all started with a small group of patients at the Cleveland Clinic.
The year was 1985. After he and his wife Ann adopted a plant-based diet, cutting out oil, meat, fish, fowl and dairy products, Dr. Esselstyn launched a study to examine cholesterol levels and heart disease.
Essy's Landmark Study
The Chief of Cardiology at the clinic graciously granted Essy’s request to refer patients with advanced coronary artery disease to participate in a study. The goal: to use whole food, plant-based nutrition to reduce patients’ cholesterol levels to below 150mg/dL, the level seen in cultures where the disease is virtually nonexistent, and to see what effect it would have on their health. Dr. Esselstyn soon had eighteen patients in the study, a number of whom had been instructed by their doctors that nothing more could be done to address their severe disease states. In the eight years prior to the study, participants had collectively experienced forty-nine cardiovascular events. Simply put, many of these patients were on death’s door.
The Ground Breaking Results
After five years, the results were astounding: cholesterol levels, on average, reduced by 50%; a halting of disease progression in all participants; actual reversal of the disease in eight individuals; and overall widespread improvement in health. In short, these patients were able to return to living active and engaged lives. This groundbreaking study was published in 1995 in the American Journal of Cardiology: “Updating a 12 -Year Experience With Arrest and Reversal Therapy for Coronary Heart Disease (An Overdue Requiem for Palliative Cardiology).”
The Plant Based Movement is Born
Soon, in collaboration with other like-minded researchers and clinicians such as Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Colin Campbell, Dr. John McDougall, and Dr. Michael Klaper, among many others, the revolution had begun. Ann and Essy soon found themselves traveling the country, and later the world, to spread the message, share the research, and actively demonstrate the healing power of whole food, plant-based nutrition. Essy went on to publish 150 scientific articles about his work. This includes the most recent “Is Oil Healthy?”, published in 2019 in the International Journal of Disease Reversal and Prevention.
What began over thirty years ago has now become a full-fledged movement, a seismic revolution in global health. As Essy states, “The time is now. The weight of scientific evidence and public opinion, now that the truth is known, will prevail. With this approach, the war against our most devastating diseases can be won.”
Essy's Resume
- Yale University, 1956 AB
- Gold Medal, 1956 Olympic Games – 8-oared rowing event
- Western Reserve University, 1961, MD
- Surgical Training – The Cleveland Clinic Foundation
- Surgical Fellowship- St. George’s Hospital, London, England
Cleveland Clinic
- President of Medical Staff, 1977-1978
- Member, Board of Governors, 1977-1982
- Past Chairman, Breast Cancer Task Force
- Former Head, Section of Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery
- Preventive Medicine Consultant 2009-Present
- Director Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Reversal Program Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute 2009-Present
Other Notable Accomplishments
- President, American Association of Endocrine Surgeons, 1991
- “Best Doctors in America”, 1994-1995
- Scientific Publications – Beyond 150 in Peer Review Journals
- Director and Program Chairman, “1” National Conference on the Elimination & Prevention of Coronary Artery Disease”, Tucson, AZ, 1991
- Arresting and Reversing Coronary Artery Disease – A 5-Year Study. The Journal of Family Practice, Vol. 41,No. 6(Dec)1995.
- Director and Program Chairman, “Summit on Cholesterol & Coronary Disease”, Orlando, FL, 1997
- Editor, “Proceedings on Summit on Cholesterol & Coronary Disease Supplement The American Journal of cardiology, Vol. 82(1OB), November 26, 1998
- Updating a 12-Year Experience with Arrest and Reversal Therapy for Coronary Heart Disease, The American Journal of Cardiology, Vol. 84, August 1, 1999.
- The 2015 Plantrician Project Luminary Award
- American College of Lifestyle Medicine 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award
- Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine 2016 Distinguished Alumni Award