Plant-Based Diet For Prevention of Heart Disease, Reducing Enlarged Heart Cause Of Mitral Valve Prolapse

Plant-Based Diet For Prevention of Heart Disease, Reducing Enlarged Heart Cause Of Mitral Valve Prolapse

John J. Pippin, MD, FACC, is director of academic affairs for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nationwide organization of physicians, scientists, educators, and laypersons that promotes preventive medicine, especially good nutrition, and addresses controversies in modern medicine, including ethical and scientific issues in education and research.

Dr. Pippin works to replace the use of animals in medical and drug research, medical education, and the training of physicians, nurses, and other medical professionals. He has testified before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Institute of Medicine on how misleading animal experiment results contributed to the approval of Vioxx and other dangerous drugs. He also testified in 2011 before the Institute of Medicine Committee on the Use of Chimpanzees in Biomedical and Behavioral Research and has participated in a debate regarding animal experiments in the U.K. House of Commons.

Dr. Pippin directs the Physicians Committee’s campaigns to replace medical school animal laboratories, to end the use of animals for trauma and specialty training, to replace animals for medical research and drug development, and many other projects. He contributes research and articles for Good Medicine and serves as a media spokesperson for the Physicians Committee’s efforts.

Mitral Valve Prolapse is the most common valve disorder of the heart, so this is an important topic to discuss. Unfortunately, there are many cases of MVP which cannot be reversed by diet or exercise, but a ot of the time, people who have MVP also have an enlarged left ventricle, which can be both a cause and an exacerbator of the condition.  Since dietary changes do have a positive effect on enlarged ventricle through reducing inflammation overall and in the heart itself, this is important to understand.

By dietary changes, the doctors at PCRM have examined tons of evidence and research, as have other doctors and health organizations.  They have all come to the same conclusion: a plant-based or vegan diet is the best diet for preventing and reversing heart conditions and other chronic health conditions (including particularly, cancer).

According to the latest research across all fields, the most effective way to prevent heart disease of all types, including heart failure (which is irreversible and not treatable once it has occurred) is through dietary changes and regular exercise. Specifically, the dietary changes found most effective are those that involve a plant-based diets. Plant-based diets have also been shown to prevent and even treat many other diseases, including and perhaps most importantly cancer. The mountains of evidence that has been piling up over the years leaves no doubt that this is the case.

When it comes to cardiac diseases, including those related to high cholesterol or atherosclerosis, a well-balanced diet consisting of whole foods and exclusively plant-based components. The types of foods consumed are important as well, and the most effective diets are those that focus on high nutritive value foods and foods which are minimally processed and, in many cases, uncooked. Since cooking can destroy a lot of the vitamins and other minerals present in plant-based foods, light cooking or even raw versions are the best.

Dr. Pippin also mentions the importance of regular exercise, and especially walking, for heart patients and people suffering from many other types of lifestyle diseases. Arthritis sufferers, those with heart failure and other coronary diseases, those with cancer, and other chronic conditions benefit from walking and other forms of exercise. Some of those people you see at the mall every day or on weekends are heart patients. The mall is a great place to go walking, as there are no inclines, bumps, or cold temperatures in the mall. They can also go shopping or go for lunch at one of the few healthy eating places in most malls after their exercise routine is finished.

Mitral Valve Prolapse Can Be of Two Types: One Can Be Helped By Diet, The Other Cannot

Mitral Valve prolapse (MVP) is one of those strange chronic conditions that many people suffer with that may or may not benefit from dietary changes. One of the main causes of MVP happens to be infection. Whether the infection is viral or bacterial, there can be certain structural changes that this can cause. Biofilms that accumulate on and around the mitral valve leaflets (the valve structures) can cause this area to deteriorate. When it deteriorates, then the seal is damaged. This can lead to a back-flow of blood back into the heart. The larger the degree of back-flow, the more severe the condition. If the condition becomes very severe, surgery is the only option in most cases.

Most of the time, when a doctor or cardiologist discovers MVP, it is already in the phase where there is back-flow. It is most often found during a stethoscope examination of the patient, and they are usually referred to a cardiologist. The cardiologist will then order an EKG and, possibly, a cardiac stenography to check further. In most cases, there is a ‘watch and wait’ attitude that is adopted. Since the presumption and accepted medical convention is that there is nothing that can be done, this becomes a condition where if it becomes worse, then surgery is recommended.

However, there is a type of MVP that is treatable by diet, and that is when the leaflets are being pulled apart by enlargement of the left ventricle of the heart. As you might realize, when the ventricle enlarges, the leaflets, which are quite tiny and delicate, cannot make good contact. When they don’t make good contact, then there is MVP and back-flow into the ventricle. When this is the case, then the patient can try changing their diet to a plant-based diet, which is naturally anti-inflammatory. This can cause the ventricle to shrink back to its normal size, and this allows the mitral valve leaflets to reconnect and in many cases heal back to normal.

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Considering, however, that most of the time MVP is caused by bacterial or viral infection, which inherently cause inflammation and likely swelling, it may be the case that more patients can benefit from this dietary change, and they might be successful in avoiding surgery by healing their valve structure.

Other Dietary Changes To Consider

Dr. Pippin’s recommendations for limiting salt intake when one has an enlarged heart is the standard conventional wisdom on the heart and salt increasing risk for heart attacks. There has been, in recent years, a questioning by some cardiologists on the wisdom of this practice. In the case of Dr. James Dinicolantonio , this cardiologist posits that lowering salt intake is what is actually leading to the epidemic of heart disease we are seeing in this country.

According to his theory and studies, there is such a thing as too little sodium, and he in fact argues that most Americans do not get enough salt under any circumstances, and that the US RDA for salt intake is too low for those with normal heart function.

When an individual consumes too little salt, there is a little-known cycle that takes over. The body uses sodium for a specific purpose, namely to conserve water, ensuring there is always proper osmotic pressure in the cells. When the sodium intake is lowered, the body compensates for the fact that the need for sodium is still there, but now the salt is not present. So, the body releases, from the adrenal glands, a substance known as aldosterone. According to one study (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/4365595/), “sodium intake reciprocally influences vascular and adrenal responses to arterial angiotensin II: salt restriction blunts the vascular response and potentiates the adrenals, a physiologically important influence in view of aldosterone’s role in sodium conservation.

According to Dr. Dinicolantonio, the average person should be consuming 3-5,000 mg of sodium per day, or 1 1/3-2 tsp per day. On his Facebook page, you can see the following graphic with this caption, “Another HARM of LOW-SALT DIETS: 3-FOLD INCREASE in Norepinephrine and Epinephrine

These are adrenal gland secretions that can cause harm because it can stress and fatigue the adrenal glands. According to the Mayo Clinic, when too much aldosterone is produced by the adrenal glands to retain water (possibly due to inadequate sodium intake), “The adrenal glands produce too much of the hormone aldosterone. This makes the kidneys retain salt and water and lose too much potassium, which raises blood pressure.” Thus, it can sometimes cause the opposite of the desired effect of lowering blood pressure to limit salt intake.

Plant Based Diets Enhance Survival For Heart Patients, Both Pre and Post Surgery

For those heart patients who are in need of surgery for a mitral valve prolapse, as well as those for whom there is no surgical option (such as heart failure), a plant-based diet increases their survival rate for all-cause mortality and improves survival from heart issues. The rates of heart attacks are less among those on a plant-based diet, but for those who do have a heart attack, they can improve their health and survival rates by switching to this type of diet.

Evidence is mixed for using salmon and other fatty fish in the diet, with most of the evidence pointing to the same negative effects that other meat-based foods have. These include raising blood pressure, raising LDL cholesterol, increased incidence of coronary disease including congestive heart failure, and increased rates of cancers. One of the best predictors of health and longevity is the diet a person eats and how active they are. Improving the diet by eliminating meat and dairy products can help with many heart conditions and with the overall health of patients.

Plant-based diets, regarding the heart specifically, have demonstrated that they can reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It can also improve the shape and function of the heart while also improving the baseline nutrition and functioning of the heart.

Discussing the Available Surgical Options For MVP

There are three presently available options for MVP repair or replacement. There is the pig valve replacement, where pigs are raised for their valves, and these are used in medicine. There is the invasive mitral valve replacement using the ring, and then there is the catheter version of surgical repair.

All three of these surgeries depend on the patient and the recommendation of the cardiac surgeon. However, usually they will determine before the date of the surgery which a patient is the best candidate for.

In general, there are some guidelines that are normally true. For a patient of advanced age, maybe in their 80s or 90, there is the pig valve replacement. While the Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine is morally opposed to the killing of pigs to use in medicine for these surgeries, this is one of the few options available. The distinct disadvantage of pig valve replacements is their longevity or lack thereof. After approximately 20 years, a pig valve will deteriorate. That much pressure over that much time on an object made of, in essence, skin and thin connective tissue, will cause it to become destroyed.

The second option is the open heart surgical valve replacement with the ring structure that is sutured ti the existing leaflets. While this type of surgery requires a longer recovery time, it is appropriate for some patients with excessive damage to their mitral valve. The materials are metals and plastics, which are very durable and are most suitable for younger patients who should have a long lifespan after the surgery.

The final option is the catheter option. This involves going through a vein to the heart, suturing the leaflets, and placing a structure onto the valve to keep it functioning and stable.

When the patient has severe MVP, and they have tried all of the dietary changes with the condition continuing to deteriorate, a surgery may be necessary. The side-effects and recovery time of the surgeries have improved, and they have been performed for many years. However, all of these surgical options can fail. The valves can still become deteriorated despite the surgery, and the surgery may need to be repeated.

If a patient combines nutritional therapies with these surgical treatments, they will have the best prognosis for survival and longevity of the surgery.

Since every patient is different, and many doctors are not knowledgeable about thee issues, this is an area where the patient should do their own research.

Banner Image: Video cover. Image Credit – PCRM

Plant-Based Diet For Mitral Valve Prolapse, Surgical Options, Other Health Conditions

Staten Islander News sat down with Dr. John Pippin of the Physician’s Committee For Responsible Medicine to discuss Mitral Valve Prolapse and some of the options for treating it. In some cases, it can respond to dietary changes and improved nutrition, in other cases, a watch and wait approach will work. When it becomes severe, surgery may be necessary.

Read the accompanying article at

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