Michelle L. O'Donoghue, MD: Hi. I am Dr Michelle O'Donoghue from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. I'm thrilled to have joining me today two people I greatly admire for the work they have done in diet and better understanding the role that a plant-based diet may have for preventing and treating heart disease. First joining me is Dr Kim Williams, who is the former president of the American College of Cardiology. He is also the chief of cardiology at Rush University Medical Center. Welcome, Kim.
I would like to see it start from physicians. I would like to see that every patient who has a disease that can be helped by plant-based nutrition is afforded it.
Kim A. Williams, MD: Thanks for having me.
O'Donoghue: Also joining me is Dr Caldwell Esselstyn, whom people may recognize from the movie "Forks Over Knives" as well as other documentaries about plant-based diets. He is the director of the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Reversal Program at Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute. Welcome, Dr Esselstyn.
Caldwell B. Esselstyn, MD: Thank you, Michelle.
Dr Esselstyn's Journey to a Plant-Based Diet
O'Donoghue:People would be very interested to know about our personal journeys. Dr Esselstyn, how did you find yourself embracing a plant-based diet?
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COMMENTARY
Plant-Based Diets as Medicine: Food for Thought
Michelle L. O'Donoghue, MD, MPH; Kim A. Williams, MD; Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr, MD
DisclosuresApril 30, 2018
Michelle L. O'Donoghue, MD: Hi. I am Dr Michelle O'Donoghue from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. I'm thrilled to have joining me today two people I greatly admire for the work they have done in diet and better understanding the role that a plant-based diet may have for preventing and treating heart disease. First joining me is Dr Kim Williams, who is the former president of the American College of Cardiology. He is also the chief of cardiology at Rush University Medical Center. Welcome, Kim.
Kim A. Williams, MD: Thanks for having me.
O'Donoghue: Also joining me is Dr Caldwell Esselstyn, whom people may recognize from the movie "Forks Over Knives" as well as other documentaries about plant-based diets. He is the director of the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Reversal Program at Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute. Welcome, Dr Esselstyn.
Caldwell B. Esselstyn, MD: Thank you, Michelle.
Dr Esselstyn's Journey to a Plant-Based Diet
O'Donoghue:People would be very interested to know about our personal journeys. Dr Esselstyn, how did you find yourself embracing a plant-based diet?
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Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.
Cite this: Plant-Based Diets as Medicine: Food for Thought - Medscape - Apr 30, 2018.
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Authors and Disclosures
Authors and Disclosures
Interviewer
Michelle L. O'Donoghue, MD, MPH
Investigator, TIMI Study Group; Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Associate Physician, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
Disclosure: Michelle L. O'Donoghue, MD, MPH, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships: Received research grant from: Merck & Co., Inc.; GlaxoSmithKline; Eisai Inc.; AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP; Janssen Pharmaceuticals
The opinions expressed in this article are solely my own and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Interviewees
Kim A. Williams, MD
James B. Herrick Professor; Chief, Division of Cardiology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
Disclosure: Kim A. Williams, MD, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr, MD
Chairman, Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Reversal Program, Department of Preventive Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute, Lyndhurst, Ohio
Disclosure: Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr, MD, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.