GUEST ARTICLE

What Can the Pritikin Program
Do For Me?

[We do not recommend without qualification any popular diet.  In fact, instead of “dieting,” it is far better to simply eat a basic selection of vegetables, fruits, grains, beans, and maybe occasionally fish or chicken.  One such way of eating is the “Pritikin Program.”  This recommends eating a low-fat, low sodium, low-cholesterol, high complex carbohydrate, natural diet.  The following article describes some of the benefits of eating this natural way.  RH]

If you’re looking for the healthiest – and happiest – way to live your life, you’ve found it with the Pritikin Program.  What’s more, Pritikin is so simple and inexpensive.  You won’t be throwing away money on pricey (and highly questionable) gizmos like “high energy” powder drinks or “fat-busting” machines.

Pritikin is a return to common sense – to real food like fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, whole grains, beans, and lean meat like poultry and seafood, and to daily physical activity like walking and bicycling.

So simple, but so effective.  You’ll lose weight without feeling hungry, regain your vitality, and dramatically decrease your risk of epidemic diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.  You’ll look and feel healthier, stronger, and more vibrant.  And you’ll wonder why you ever lived any other way.

But don’t take our word for it.  The benefits of the Pritikin Program have been documented over the past 30 years in more than 110 studies in leading peer-reviewed medical journals like the New England Journal of Medicine and Archives of Internal Medicine.  No other lifestyle-change program has been so rigorously documented.

The Pritikin Program Has Been Scientifically Proven To:

Reduce Total and LDL Bad Cholesterol 23%

Analyses of 4,587 people at the Pritikin Longevity Center showed an average 23% drop in total cholesterol and 23% drop in LDL "bad" cholesterol, and in just three weeks.  New England Journal of Medicine, 323: 1142, 1990; Archives of Internal Medicine, 151: 1389, 1991.

Reduce Triglycerides 33%

Among these same 4,587 men and women, triglcerides fell an average 33% in three weeks. New England Journal of Medicine, 323: 1142 ,1990.  Archives of Internal Medicine, 151: 1389, 1991.

Triglycerides are blood fats that increase with weight gain and are almost always elevated in diabetes and its cousin, Metabolic Syndrome.  While nearly everyone knows about the link between high cholesterol and heart disease, few are aware that high triglycerides also increase the risk of a heart attack, and that one in two Americans have borderline-high to high levels of triglycerides.

Lower C-Reactive Protein 45%

A chemical in our bodies called C-reactive protein (CRP) has gotten a lot of press lately because key research is finding that high levels of CRP signal inflammation, and chronic inflammation is now linked with several diseases, including diabetes and heart disease.

Within two weeks of adopting the Pritikin Program, C-reactive protein plummeted 45% among women, 39% among men, and 41% for children.  No other diet-and exercise program or drug therapy, including statins, has proven to lower C-reactive protein so dramatically or rapidly. Metabolism, 53: 377, 2004.  Journal of Applied Physiology, 100: 1657, 2006.  Atherosclerosis, 19: 98, 2007.

Lower Blood Pressure To Normal, Medication-Free Levels

In a study of 268 men, 83% lowered their blood pressure to normal levels and left Pritikin free of all drugs for hypertension. Journal of Cardiac Rehabilitation, 3: 839, 1983. See also Circulation, 106: 2530, 2002.

In a meta-analysis of 1,117 hypertensives, nearly 60% normalized blood pressure and no longer required medications within three weeks of starting the Pritikin Program. Journal of Applied Physiology, 98: 3, 2005.

Control Diabetes and, For Many, Eliminate the Need for Drugs

A meta-analysis of 864 diabetics found that 74% on oral medications left Pritikin free of such medications; and 44% on insulin left insulin-free. Those who continued the Pritikin Program stayed off the medications. Journal of Applied Physiology,98: 3, 2005. See also Diabetes Care, 17: 1469, 1994.

Promote Healthy, Long-Term Weight Loss

Among nearly 5,000 people studied, average weight loss was 10 pounds within three weeks of starting the Pritikin Program. Archives of Internal Medicine, 151: 1389, 1991.

In two long-term studies, more than 85% of Pritikin followers claimed a 50% or greater adherence to the Pritikin Program after 5 years, and the majority continued to lose weight after leaving the Center. Journal of Cardiac Rehabilitation, 3: 183, 1983; Diabetes Care, 6: 268, 1983.

The most comprehensive study of long-term weight loss ever conducted, the National Weight Control Registry, found that the vast majority of its 4,500+ successful dieters followed a diet, like Pritikin, that is low in fat and very high in fiber-rich carbohydrates like fruits and vegetables. The members lost, on average, 66 pounds and kept it off, on average, six years. Less than 1% followed a high-protein, high-fat diet. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 98: 480, 1998.

Enhance Effectiveness of Statin Therapy

Prior to adopting the Pritikin Program, 93 people had reduced their cholesterol about 20% on statins. After two weeks on the Pritikin Program, they achieved an additional 19% decrease in cholesterol. American Journal of Cardiology, 79: 1112, 1997.

Eliminate the Need For Coronary Bypass Surgery

A five-year follow-up of 64 participants who went to Pritikin instead of having bypass surgery found that 80% never needed surgery. Journal of Cardiac Rehabilitation, 3: 183, 1983.

Relieve Angina Pain

Among 64 heart patients taking drugs for angina (chest) pain, 62% left the Pritikin Longevity Center pain-free and drug-free. Journal of Cardiac Rehabilitation, 3: 183, 1983.

Lower Insulin Levels 46%

Numerous studies have found that the higher your levels of insulin, the greater your risk of several health concerns, including diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s.  In three weeks, insulin levels fell 46% among people who adopted the Pritikin Program. Circulation, 106: 2530, 2002.

Alleviate the Metabolic Syndrome In Adults

Having the Metabolic Syndrome, a condition now epidemic in the U.S., puts one at major risk for diabetes and heart disease. You have the Metabolic Syndrome if you have at least three of the following five criteria:

1.      A resting blood pressure of 130/85 or higher (either number), or you’re currently taking blood-pressure-lowering medications.

2.      A waist circumference of greater than 35 inches in women and greater than 40 inches in men.

3.      An HDL “good” cholesterol less than 40 mg/dL in men and less than 50 mg/dL in women, or you’re currently taking HDL-raising medications.

4.      A fasting triglyceride level of 150 mg/dL or higher, or you’re currently taking triglyceride-lowering medications.

5.      A fasting blood glucose of 100 mg/dL or higher.

 In about 50% of adults studied, the Metabolic Syndrome was not only controlled but reversed within three weeks of adopting the Pritikin Program. Journal of Applied Physiology, 100: 1657, 2006.

Alleviate the Metabolic Syndrome In Children

Among children with the Metabolic Syndrome, 100% no longer had the clinical diagnosis of the syndrome within two weeks of starting the Pritikin Program. Metabolism Clinical and Experimental, 55: 871, 2006.

Reduce Weight and Heart Disease Risk Factors In Children

In two weeks, overweight children in the Pritikin Family Program decreased LDL bad cholesterol on average 25%, shed nine pounds, lowered triglyceride fats 39%, reduced key markers for inflammation, and increased the body's production of nitric oxide, a very beneficial chemical that squelches plaque growth. Atherosclerosis, 191: 98, 2007.

Reduce Key Risk Factors for Breast, Colon, and Prostate Cancer

Several studies have found that adopting the Pritikin Program reduced key risk factors for breast, colon, and prostate cancer. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 86: 1419, 1994; Nutrition and Cancer, 31: 127,1998; Nutrition and Cancer, 38: 158, 2000; The Journal of Urology, 166: 1185, 2001.

Retard the Growth of Prostate Cancer Cells

Groundbreaking studies showed that the Pritikin Program retarded the growth of prostate cancer cells in in vitro laboratory testing, and even induced tumor cells to self-destruct. Prostate, 56: 201, 2003.

Retard the Growth of Breast Cancer Cells

Studies showed that the Pritikin Program retarded the growth of breast cancer cells in in vitro laboratory testing, and induced tumor cells to self-destruct. Nutrition and Cancer, 55 (1): 28, 2006.

Avoid Aggressive Treatment of Prostate Cancer

Patients with prostate cancer were able to avoid aggressive treatment, surgery, radiation, etc., by following Pritikin-style guidelines that involved exercising regularly, increasing fruit-and-vegetable intake, and significantly reducing dietary fat. Journal of Urology, 174:1065, 2005

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