Stop Inflammation Now!

by Richard M. Fleming

An innovative cardiologist reveals the twelve main causes of heart attack and stroke, and presents his breakthrough plan to restore heart health.

In this groundbreaking book, nuclear cardiologist and research scientist Dr. Richard M. Fleming exposes the devastating impact of arterial inflammation on the heart and what can be done to douse the fire within. Arterial inflammation triggers a dangerous chain reaction, wreaking havoc throughout the body. Dr. Fleming's action plan explains which tests your doctor should be performing to assess heart disease risk and tells why an angiogram is not always an accurate indicator of heart health. He also reveals a complete picture of the twelve causes of inflammation and how to defeat them.

Dr. Fleming's unique two-step program restores balance within the body through simple diet and lifestyle changes that can begin to yield measurable results in as little as two weeks. The plan not only prevents further damage to the heart but can also restore blood flow and reverse heart disease's progress-all without surgery or prescription drug dependence. The book includes detailed menus and more than fifty easy-to-prepare recipes for every meal of the day.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Medical

320 pages, Paperback

First published December 29, 2003

Reviews

[Karin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think this guy has done thatch research on inflammation. It is basically Ornish revisited. After just fruits veggies and legumes, you can add a couple servings of grains (really, no discussion on which grains are more inflammatory others) no fats, no meat, the only protein and carbs for an entire month is legumes...and no discussion on fermentation or gut health. No discussion on food sourcing. Disappointed. Back to the library it goes.

[Glenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another book I read a long time ago and just found the notes. Rather long, but will give good information.
Stop Inflammation Now Richard M Fleming MD

Important biomarker of heart disease – arterial inflammation – strongly influenced by diet and physical activity….

Fleming Diet…..plant based…very low fat animal foods……high in fiber, fruits, veggies, beans, ……(5 to 9 servings a day)

LDL, cholesterol and homocysteine – blood- tiny spheres – infiltrate artery walls – decay….immune cells consume and become bloated –form a yellow growth “fatty streak” inside artery wall….causes artery wall to harden and form a boil….enlarging the boil and wearing away the covering…cause it to erupt…open wound….forms a blood clot or scab….can break free and block blood flow…

Inflammation is caused when the immune system sends out immune cells to fight off infection….creates an array of side effects….heat, redness, swelling…root cause of heart attacks and strokes…..

12 conditions that set off destructive inflammatory response….explains the anomalies ….small plaques cause most heart attacks….inflammation makes make them highly unstable…more likely to to rupture …..

Women – ideal blood cholesterol level is 150 mg/dL or lower
Triglyceride level is less than 150 mg/dL
Homocysteine level less than 10

Reduce inflammation – 2 phase process…..phase one- temporary cleansing …phase 2 ….wider diet, exercise, supplements


Phase 1: eat just veggies, beans, and fruits…..rich in immune boosters that reduce inflammation such as blueberries, flax seeds, cruciferous veggies, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, mustard greens…..

Supplements of folic acid, B6, B12 and an antioxidant formular…
Exercise; walking…

12 essential risk factors in inflammatory reactions that cause heart disease…

1. Cholesterol – bring down LDLs and then maintain at safe level…
2. Triglycerides – bring down ….constellation of symptoms….excess weight,
high insulin, and high triglycerides….associated with liver/digestive
3. Excess Weight:
4. Homocysteine: wound in artery wall - blood clot forms over wound.
Homocysteine is an amino acid whose blood levels become elevated as a result of excess consumption of red meat and other animal-protein sources….heavy meat consumption lowers your levels of B6, B12 & folic acid….elevates your homocysteine ….acts like burning acid on artery walls, creating injuries.

5. Antioxidants: Oxidation breaks down and deforms cells…tissue to shrink, wrinkle and age….Oxidation is underlying cause of most of the illness we suffer from….Dietary fat is a principal source of oxidants, alcohol, processed foods, pesticides….
Antidote to oxidation is antioxidants, …plant foods.

6. Exercise: moderate exercise lowers the levels of insulin, triglycerides, estrogen and f ibrinogen…..(pro-inflammatory substances).

7. Diet rich in fats and animal proteins increase production of fibrogen….tendency to form blood clots
8. Growth factors: promote cellular growth
9. Cytokines and Leukotrienes…..chemicals that make immune communication possible…Leukotrienes …cause inflammation…constriction..atherosclerosis….keep them in balance…..
10. Complement – protein produced by immune system…..roams blood seeking bacteria…attaches to bacteria & pokes holes in cell membrane…killing….(hole puncher) sometime attacks arteries, releasing blood, ….may deliberately punch holes to cause greater immune response….the more inflammation, the more complement is attracted there.
11. Bacteria: cholesterol plaque is rife with bacteria…..one of the ways to treat heart disease is by reducing the presence of bacteria with a mild antibiotic…..
medical procedures themselves….angiography, coronary balloon angioplasty – promote growth of illness….

Keep the immune system healthy and inflammation low…..

C_RP – C-reactive protein…made by liver – it rises within 24 hours of an increase in inflammation ….elevated C-RP levels…..women w high levels 2 times as likely to have heart attack or stroke….

Immune system – triggers the inflammatory response to destroy disease-causing bacteria and viruses….by overworking our immune system with diets and lifestyles we start the fire that kills us.

1. AVOID FOODS THAT PROMOTE INFLAMMATION
2. INCLUDE FOODS THAT REDUCE INFLAMMATION
3. TAKE SUPPLEMENTS THAT REDUCE INFLAMMATION
4. EXERCISE TO REDUCE INFLAMMATION



I. AVOID PRO-INFLAMMATORY FOODS

1. Avoid saturated fats….red meat, dairy products, poultry, eggs, fish,
coconut oil and palm kernel oil….
2. Avoid foods w omega 6 polyunsaturated fats…..corn oil, safflower oil, sunflower
3. Avoid trans-fats…margarine, processed foods, pastries, doughnuts, baked flour
4. Dairy foods……cow’s milk, cheese, yogurt….highly inflammatory- promote inflammatory cytokines, including insulin-like growth factor one.
5. Avoid refined sugar
6. Avoid all processed foods – high calorie…..breads, rolls, muffins, cookies, etc.


II. Eat ANTI-INFLAMMATORY FOODS

1. Vegetables – plant based diets boost the immune system
2. Cruciferous veggies- broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens,
kale, mustard greens, Brussel sprouts
3. Veggies in allium family…..garlic, onions, scallions
4. Flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds
5. Selected fruits….blueberries, grapes, plums, citrus
6. Vit E….almonds,
7. Selenium ….walnuts, brazil nuts, seafood
8. High fiber foods….lower inflammation by binding to
pro-inflammatory substances and eliminating them from your system…

III. TAKE SUPPLEMENTS

1. Daily vit and min supplement that includes vit B6 and B12 and folic acid
2. A daily antioxidant formula

VI. EXERCISE

Pg. 24-26 explains the process of inflammation…
immune cells (monocytes)….inside artery transform into macrophages (destroy bacteria, viruses, cancer cells)….gobble up LDL(rotting lipid balls) and become sick from LDL poisoning…they call for help…..enter complement….hole puncher…punches holes in bacteria and also arteries…inflammation/ wound….more bacteria rush in ….more inflammation…


size of the clot is less important than its stability…..
angiograms – cannot diagnose artery disease, only lumen disease….

Elevates blood cholesterol - Eating too much saturated fat- red meat, dairy products, eggs, chicken….to too many calories – fats, sugars, carbohydrates, coffee

Excess calories – raise triglyceride levels, ……

Saturated fats- beef, pork, lamb, chicken….whole milk, cheese,

Hydrogenated fats – trans-fatty acids….

Vit E,
Gugulipid – lowers cholesterol, triglycerides, 500 mg 3 times day
Hawthorn – reduce angina pain, lower cholesterol,
reverse atherosclerosis 100-200 mg per day

Garlic – lowers cholesterol, inhibits clot formation,

Body deprived of excess cholesterol, it is formced to draw it out of the plaques…causes the plaques to shrink, opens your arteries, blood flows more freely
MUST CREATE A CHOLESTEROL DEPRIVED ENVIRONMENT –FORCE TO USE THE CHOLESTEROL IN PLAQUES……


Pg 78 high-protein diets – elevates homocysteine – causes changes in arteries and blood that increase chances of heart attact….women with high homocysteine levels have 3 times the rate of heart disease..why?
Homocysteine combines with LDL to form LDL-complex – irritating stuff that go inside yoru arteries and deforms the artery tissue….the complex in the artery wall…the immune system sends monocytes and macrophages to gobble up the homocysteine and LDL….1. turn the immune cells into foam cells making plaque
2. it triggers more inflammation

Oxidants also called free radicals - cause cells to become deformed..
Immune cells release oxidants to kill disease…
One cause of oxidants are high fat diets….also elevated levels of homocysteine…causes arteries to narrow…..increases clot formation…
Eat too much protein- drives up homocysteine….saturated protein increases an animo acid methionine which is converted to homocysteine…
KEEPS HOMOCYSTEINE IN CHECK – FOLIC ACID, VIT B 6 & VIT B12….PLANTS FOODS….
People with high homocysteine levels are being poisoned by animal foods….

Diets rich in plants foods are high in folic acid and low in methionine – do not produce high homocysteine….

NORMAL HOMOCYSTEINE – 4 to 12 micromoles per lit of blood – want it to come down to 10 or lower….

CONTROL HOMOCYSTEINE-
1. Eat plant foods
2. get lots of B6, folic acid
3. get antioxidants

Homocysteine does damage by being source of oxidants- source of diseases and wrinkling and withering….oxidants cause age and withering- force LDL particles to become rancid….cause withering by causing molecules to lose electrons….series of thefts – biochemical chaos……some cells become non-functioning scar tissue, some die, some become cancer…..
Must limit exposure to environmental oxidants – dietary fat, cigarette smoke, ultraviolet light from sun, homocysteine, and chemical pollutants in air, water, soil and eat antioxidants…

Antioxidants protect us by donating electrons to unstable molecules, restoring stability to cells….BIG GIVERS….. anti-inflammatory…

Vit C, E, beta carotene

Best Sources of Antioxidants

Blueberries, Concord grape juice, Blackberries, Strawberries, Prunes, Cranberry juice, Green vegetables, Oranges, Brussels sprouts, Grapefruits

600 carotenoids…..antioxidants and immune boosters

SUPPLEMENTS ARE NOT GOING TO OVERCOME THE PRO-INFLAMATORY EFFECTS OF UNHEALTHY DIET AND LIFESTYLE….

Fibrinogen: Balance is Essential to Heart Health – pg 95

Fibrinogen is made in liver…clotting protein…normal conditions clotting proteins are dormant….injury ….the proteins spring into action…series of chemical transformations to form fibrinogen, at the same time platelets arrive to bind the wound….too many create a mass (clot)…..LEVEL IS IMPORTANT…too much and you form clots – too little and you bleed too much….NORMAL RANGE - 200 to 400 mg/dL - better below 350….

Things that raise fibrinogen level: smoking, lack of exercise, high homocysteine levels, high fat diet, infections, gum disease…

LIVER HEALTH AND THE HEART ……….pg 98

The health of your arteries and heart depent upon the health of your liver….many cases heart disease starts in the liver….

Fibrinogen, homocysteine, and C-reactive protein- made in liver when it becomes inflamed and imbalanced, (due to pro-inflammatory foods)….also another chemical lipoprotein (a) (lipoprotein little a) – symbol is Lp(a)…….promotes clot formation by preventing breakdown of fibrinogen, increasing fibrinogen levels, and make blood more viscous ….has a Velcro-like surface – adheres to plaques and LKL…

Fibrinogen and Lp(a) – independent risk factors in heart disease…..Lp(a) – present in morning heart attacks….opposite effect of antioxidants…Lp(a) cover the wound with a volatile scab that is prone to rupture….Antioxidants restore the arterys flexibility and strength….

Takes 3 months to bring Lp(a) down into healthy range…takes that long for inflammation in the liver to be significantly reduced…..

Pg 100 Exercise – way to lower your fibrinogen level….
SPICES – lower inflammatory markers….TUMERIC, GINGER
TUMERIC – LOWERS FIBRINOGEN LEVELS ….lower risk of urinary-tract cancers ----- bladder and prostate…

Growth Factors – class of chemicals that occur in the body….task – stimulate growth…promote cell proliferation and tissue development. …key balance….

Dangers of Growth Factors –
Problems- stimulate cells to multiply when not needed…give rise in inflammation…..most potentially dangerous is insulin-like growth factor IGF-1
2 causes of elevated growth-factor levels 1. high insulin levels 2. cow’s milk …high protein diets???

Elevated insulin levels….excessive calories…refined food…processed food…inflammation itself gives rise to growth factors….

Consume dairy products….link between milk and cancer could b IGF-1…cows treated with genetically engineered recombinant bovine growth hormone have higher levels of IGF-1…..produce 10% more milk….
Also treated with antibiotics…and steroids…residues in milk….
Studies – bovine albumin peptide can trigger autoimmune response in sensitive children – type 1 diabetes….
Studies – milk proteins aattach to the pancreas….immune system attacks bovine peptides..also destroy pancreas cells……strong association between milk consumption and diabetes…

Protein in dairy foods causes calcium to be lost from the body….epidemiological research shows that populations that have the highest rates of oseo also consume dairy….

BACTERIA pg 120

Gum disease – created by high population s of Steptococcus pneumoniae…higher risk of heart disease…
Ulcers - bacteria Helicobacter pyloria
Pneumonia – Chlamydia pneumonae

Healthy arteries have no entry wound for bacteria to sneak into….
Presence of bacteria – factor in heart disease – mild antibiotic regimen : 500 mg Biaxin taken 2 times a day for 14 days…..reduces bacteria and leukotriene levels…

Case history: pg 114….can have inflammation without bacterial infection…acute-phase antibodies 4 times greater than normal….acute phase antibodies are made by immune cells called B cess…antibodies revealed the presence of Chlamydia….2 week regimen of Biaxin….chest pain disappeared…..

Key to getting leukotriene levels to fall is – protect arteries from injury..no release of arachidonic acid and no attraction of immune cells…….
Main factors that wound arteries – cholesterol, homocysteine, oxidants..
Reduce All
1. reduce fat intake
2. elimate all animal products
3. Eat only fruit and veggies
4. Take supplements folic acid, B12, antioxidants,

LOWER INFLAMMATORY CHEMICAL MESSENGERS

GINGER: reduce pain of arthritis, reduce inflammatory illness, reduce clotting, improve circulation….
TUMERIC: inhibits clotting, lower leukotrienes, lower rates of bladder/prostate cancers
NETTLE: suppress inflammatory cytokines including interleukin-1b and tumor necrosis…..reduces inflammation, pain, (rheumatoid arthritis) (used in Germany)
FLAXSEED: (EFAs) Omega 3 fats reduce inflammation, protect against free radical damage, and protects the heart…reduce cytokines, leukotrienes.
(grains, veggies, beans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, edible seaweeds, flaxseeds, cod, flounder, scrod, haddock, halibut, salmon)
Fish Oils: problems – 1. break down, oxidize, become rancid …2. have to eat huge amounts to make a difference for immune system…means excess calories…

[Jacqui · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's mainly about how inflammation in the arteries leads to heart disease, diabetes, and many cancers. I followed the recommended diet--mostly--and lost some weight. I like the diet a lot because it's all about loading up on tons of fresh fruits and veggies. Yum!

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

First, I want to say that this book has some excellent information on inflammation, heart disease, and the role of the inflammation process and its impact on developing heart disease. However, while Dr. Fleming is a brilliant cardiologist, there is far too much outdated information in this book particularly in relation to nutrition. Granted, this book was written nearly 20 years ago, so as new data comes in from more recent studies, the information changes. But this nutrition info is the primary reason that I’ve rated the book at only 2 stars, and given that Dr. Fleming appears to still hold to this outdated info, is why I cannot recommend this book even though I still somewhat enjoyed parts of it. A lot of the nutrition info is honestly, just really bad and uninformed.

Now, to explain, the nutrition info he gets wrong is in part that he espouses the old saturated fat myth. There have been numerous more recent studies, and meta-analyses, that have conclusively shown that there is no correlation between normal saturated fat intake and development of heart disease. In fact, we now have significant data showing that it actually may have a *protective* effect. The old saturated fat myth came almost entirely from poorly done studies that completely failed to control for other lifestyle behaviors (sedentary, snacking, etc), and other poor food choices like high-carb, sugary foods, or garbage like cheeseburgers and processed foods (including Fleming’s own very small 2002 study which controlled the specific foods of his signature plant-based diet groups while making no real attempt to control for the high-protein/high-fat food group [of less than half the sample size of his Fleming diet groups] that he wanted to demonize, meaning those participants could have consumed HP/HF garbage foods like fried chicken, cheeseburgers and slim-jims).

Simply put, the saturated fat = heart disease myth is based entirely on bad science. And when saturated fat does become a problem, is only when it’s part of a diet that includes refined sugars, processed junk food, and inflammatory plant foods. So everything this book states about saturated fat intake is completely refuted by more recent data. And that includes the claim that saturated fat intake is pro-inflammatory. Saturated fat intake *can be* inflammatory, but as is so often the case the old adage rings true, “The dose makes the poison.” Only in very large amounts—amounts a normal human with a balanced diet wouldn’t consume—, or when consumed with a diet containing actual inflammatory foods, will a person have any significant LPS immunity response and result in inflammation from saturated fat consumption (and even that can be mitigated by antioxidant/anti-inflammatory foods or supplements). And often the studies purporting a link to dietary fat and inflammation either involve pro-inflammatory polyunsaturated fats, or do not control for exclusion of polyunsaturated fats (or other pro-inflammatory factors like sugar and starch consumption), which *are* highly inflammatory. In short, everything about saturated fat in this book can, and should, be completely ignored. It’s outdated.

The other big nutrition mistake he makes, is recommending some plant foods for reducing cholesterol, homocysteine, and inflammation, that are in fact quite bad for our health. He does make a few great recommendations, such as fish, fruits, and certain “veggies” (which are actually tubers and types of fruit). But to give an example of what I mean, here are some of the foods he recommends, for which we have significant data that suggests no one should eat them on a regular basis. He wrongly recommends eating:

- Whole grains; these contain toxins and anti-nutrients such as gluten (gliadin, glutenin, etc), lectins, agglutinin, FODMAPs, amylase-tripsin inhibitors, fructans, and phytates/phytic acid; all quite bad and actually contributory to systemic inflammation.

- Nuts and seeds; these contains high levels of phytic acid and oxalates, both bad for inflammation

- Oats; these contain saponins which are detrimental to gut health, as well as oxalates and phytates

- Spinach, Brussels Sprouts and other Leafy Greens (saponins & oxalates)

- Cruciferous veggies like Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, Kale, Collard Greens, Cabbage, etc; all of these are goitrogenic foods and can pose a serious health risk to the thyroid due to isothiocyanates. For a brief digression on cruciferous veggies, these plants have a defense mechanism in place to protect themselves from predation. Crucifers produce goitrogenic chemicals like glucosinolates for deterrence, for example glucoraphanin and myrosinase, which when combined through a critter munching (or person chewing) or even being cut/crushed, form isothiocyanates to deter or kill the invading muncher. These isothiocyanates can have a negative effect in humans as well. One of these isothiocyanates that could prove an exception is sulforaphane. However, sulforaphane causes cellular apoptosis (which is one reason it has been in cancer prevention research) and most of it is absorbed into the bloodstream upon eating crucifers, which in large amounts can lead to potential damage to important enzymes and even mitochondria, as well as triggering the release of glutathione stores to bind to the sulforaphane and get rid of it, depleting glutathione levels. Sulforaphane can also disrupt epithelial barriers in the gut in large amounts, causing problems. So while sulforaphane may have some promise, the amount of crucifers you'd need to eat to see the benefit, would very much put your thyroid in danger from the goitrogens. I really cannot see much redeeming qualities to eating crucifers – all the “good” they allegedly provide can be obtained elsewhere. At best they should be once in a while.

And for crying out loud, the book recommends soy beans and soy based “foods” as a healthy part of a regular diet. The same soybeans that not only have very high levels of the usual bean problems like phytic acid and lectins, but contain high levels of endocrine disrupting phytoestrogens which have molecular and cellular properties similar to the dangerous Bisphenol A (BPA). That alone is honestly enough reason to disregard literally everything he says on nutrition. Of course this terrible soy recommendation made sense when I discovered after reading this book, that Dr. Fleming was convicted and sentenced in 2009 on felony healthcare fraud and mail fraud, part of which included him taking payments from a North Carolina soy food company in 2004. Are there some dots that need connecting here? That said, there is some research that menopausal and post-menopausal women, and men battling prostate cancer, could benefit from either supplementing with soy isoflavones or occasional *properly prepared* soybeans. But healthy people eating them regularly? Bad idea. Occasional properly prepared soybeans? Probably fine. But unfermented soy products like tofu, soy-based meat substitutes and other processed soy “foods” should be avoided completely, *not* recommended as part of an anti-inflammatory diet.

Of course there are other foods he recommends that aren’t great, but aren’t “bad” and should come with a big caveat that they should only be consumed *occasionally* and prepared properly due to other substances that can pose a problem (and are best avoided altogether while in the phase of trying to reduce an inflammatory state), yet he never warns the reader.

- Tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and other nightshades (only eat ripe, best to skin & de-seed, and cook well to reduce/avoid lectins, and solanine and other glycoalkaloids)

- Legumes/Beans (should only be eaten if soaked, well-cooked, and rinsed first to reduce lectins/phytates – the canning process does accomplish this)

Now obviously, not *all* the nutrition info is outdated or bad info. He does recommend most fruits, which of those the best are probably berries, but nearly all fruits are excellent for nutrition, antioxidants and reducing inflammation, with very little downsides.

One of the reasons Dr. Fleming pushes this plant-based approach is due to the alleged benefits they offer. However, the vast majority of these benefits can be obtained by eating lean meats and fruits (including the so-called “veggies” in the red/yellow/orange group in moderation), without any need to eat the harmful grains, greens, and crucifers. The fact that he suggests beans/legumes as one of the primary sources of daily protein is a bad idea that can possibly overload the body with lectins and fermentable carbohydrates in the gut. That’s a once-in-a-while, maybe 1-2 times a week food at most, and only in moderation when prepared properly.

The other main reason he pushes this plant-based approach (aside from the hero status he gives plants with the saturated fat scapegoat) is simply a completely bad piece of logic. Fleming states, “Vegetables are the primary source of minerals and vitamins in the food supply. The only reason animal foods provide any nutrition at all is because animals eat plants. It’s that simple.” (pg 144) Did you catch that? He’s basically saying, animals get their nutritional value by eating plants, so we should skip the middle-man and just eat the plants. This is terrible reasoning. Following this bad logic, plants produce all of their nutritional value by consuming sunlight and nutrients from dirt, so we should just skip the middle-man and just consume sunlight and dirt. That's ignorance of the function of various life-forms in the food chain. Plants process and produce nutrients and other chemicals in specific ways, for specific reasons, many of which are to deter/kill would-be predators and which make them inappropriate for humans to eat. However, animals that evolved to eat plant-based diets (such as ruminants), evolved special digestive tracts (i.e., specialized stomach chambers, etc) and enzymes to digest plants and extract the nutrients for use for their own bodies. Humans evolved to be omnivorous carnivores, and the ability of plant eating animals to convert plants into digestible and nutritious forms that *we* can eat is a vital step in the food chain. When a ruminant consumes plants, their flesh then contains elements of the nutritional value of/from those plants, minus most of the defensive toxins in the plants which human systems cannot process or are harmed by, and essentially convert the plants into high nutrition animal flesh. Skipping the middle-man by pushing the plant eating animals aside and eating the plants (their food) instead, is in many circumstances trying to fit a square peg into a round hole – maybe you can do it, but you’re going to cause damage forcing it in.

Unfortunately, the outdated, and just too often bad, nutrition info makes up a substantial portion of the book, which is why I cannot recommend it. The info on inflammation in the body and physiological processes is all good, but can be found elsewhere with much better, more up to date nutrition info. The idea that this book is a blueprint for stopping systemic inflammation, yet suggests scores of plants for consumption that provide toxins and anti-nutrients like phytates, goitrogens, saponins, glycoalkaloids, oxalates, and lectins, all of which have long-term cumulatively detrimental, not to mention pro-inflammatory, effects in the body, simply puts this book on the ‘Outdated’ shelf. So all in all, while I enjoyed some parts of the book, I had to make far too many corrective notes for it to ever be useful. Not recommended.

[Tatiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a wealth of information on how to correct heart disease, diabetes, and all the diseases of the developed nations. Its plan is simple and easy to follow. A number of recipes are included, but you don't really need many recipes to be able to cook the simple, hearty, and healthful foods on this plan.

Phase I is entirely plant-based consisting of whole foods. You're given way more food than I could eat. 12 to 15 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. At this stage, the whole grains are left off in order to facilitate rapid weight loss and the fastest return to ideal lab values on the 12 factors that contribute to heart disease and ill-health. Once the values are corrected, phase II lets you branch out and allows some lean meats as well as more nuts and whole grains. I think I'll skip the meat when the time comes.

I've just changed to a whole foods plant based diet, and am planning to transition to the phase I diet described in this book to get my cholesterol and triglycerides in a better range. Once I'm where I should be on all my values, I'll add back more nuts and grains to keep from losing too much weight. It's amazing how much better I feel already. I'm very thankful that I've found this healthy way to eat. I wish I'd found it years ago.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although repetitive throughout, the book gave some very useful, empirically based information on how to eat to reduce inflammation in its many forms: high cholesterol, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, allergies, arthritis. I shared this information with my dad who is eager to reduce knee pain due to arthritis without the usual medications. Not sure I would ever adopt the Phase I of this Fleming diet to reduce inflammation--eating all fruits and vegs for a while--but I'm also not experiencing any health issues that would warrant such a drastic move. I'm all for enacting the spirit of the book though, which is essentially what we all know--eating more fruits/vegs and whole grains, minimizing animal based foods, and exercising.

[Janis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Give a copy of this book to everyone you love.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leas rigid than the Ornish diet to reverse plaque buildup in the arteries. Offers hope. Jury still out, on my case, on how well it works.

[Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd be interested in trying the diet. It is a little extreme.

[Berthine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely good and useful! My partner was suffering from coronary heart disease and we trusted this book and it had helped! So enormously relieved to have him go from being unable to do a tramp and walking slowly band feeling and waking up tired continuously to now walking fine at my speed or sometimes faster :( and not feeling tired xo Thank you from the depth of my heart Dr Richard Fleming!

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

No excuse for cancer.