Caldwell Esselstyn
Encyclopedia
Caldwell Blakeman Esselstyn Jr., M.D., (born December 12, 1933) is an American
physician, author, and former Olympic rowing
champion.
and, in 1956, from Yale University
, where he was a member of Skull and Bones
. He received his medical doctorate from Western Reserve University.
Esselstyn competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics
in Melbourne
, winning a gold medal in "eights" as a member of the American team.
He is now a physician and author of Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, in which he discusses his patients' reversals of atherosclerosis
by following a vegan diet
, in some cases combined with cholesterol-lowering medication. He attributes the success of his twelve-year trial with heart patients to low mean levels of both total cholesterol (145 mg/dl) and LDL cholesterol (82 mg/dl). After undergoing cardiac surgery in 2010, former American president Bill Clinton
largely adopted the plant-based diet recommended by Caldwell Esselstyn, Dean Ornish
, and T. Colin Campbell
. Dr. Esselstyn and his wife, Ann Crile Esselstyn, have themselves maintained a mostly vegan diet
since the mid 1980s.
Esselstyn is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Nutrition Action magazine, published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest
.
He is featured in the documentary Chow Down and in the documentary feature film Forks Over Knives
, released to theaters in mid-2011. Forks over Knives traces the early life and research work of Esselstyn and of his colleague T. Colin Campbell
; it also profiles some of the patients whose disease Esslstyn's nutrition plan helped reverse.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physician, author, and former Olympic rowing
Sport rowing
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
champion.
Biography
Caldwell Esselstyn was graduated from Deerfield AcademyDeerfield Academy
Deerfield Academy is an independent, coeducational boarding school in Deerfield, Massachusetts, United States. It is a four-year college-preparatory school with approximately 600 students and about 100 faculty, all of whom live on or near campus....
and, in 1956, from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where he was a member of Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
. He received his medical doctorate from Western Reserve University.
Esselstyn competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, winning a gold medal in "eights" as a member of the American team.
He is now a physician and author of Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, in which he discusses his patients' reversals of atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is a condition in which an artery wall thickens as a result of the accumulation of fatty materials such as cholesterol...
by following a vegan diet
Veganism
Veganism is the practice of eliminating the use of animal products. Ethical vegans reject the commodity status of animals and the use of animal products for any purpose, while dietary vegans or strict vegetarians eliminate them from their diet only...
, in some cases combined with cholesterol-lowering medication. He attributes the success of his twelve-year trial with heart patients to low mean levels of both total cholesterol (145 mg/dl) and LDL cholesterol (82 mg/dl). After undergoing cardiac surgery in 2010, former American president Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
largely adopted the plant-based diet recommended by Caldwell Esselstyn, Dean Ornish
Dean Ornish
Dean Michael Ornish, M.D., is president and founder of the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California, as well as Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco....
, and T. Colin Campbell
T. Colin Campbell
T. Colin Campbell is an American biochemist who specializes in the effects of nutrition on long-term health. He is the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University, and the author of over 300 research papers...
. Dr. Esselstyn and his wife, Ann Crile Esselstyn, have themselves maintained a mostly vegan diet
Veganism
Veganism is the practice of eliminating the use of animal products. Ethical vegans reject the commodity status of animals and the use of animal products for any purpose, while dietary vegans or strict vegetarians eliminate them from their diet only...
since the mid 1980s.
Esselstyn is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Nutrition Action magazine, published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Center for Science in the Public Interest is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit watchdog and consumer advocacy group focusing on nutritional education and awareness.-History and funding:...
.
He is featured in the documentary Chow Down and in the documentary feature film Forks Over Knives
Forks Over Knives
Forks Over Knives is a 2011 American documentary film directed by Lee Fulkerson, an American independent filmmaker. The film examines the "profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of...
, released to theaters in mid-2011. Forks over Knives traces the early life and research work of Esselstyn and of his colleague T. Colin Campbell
T. Colin Campbell
T. Colin Campbell is an American biochemist who specializes in the effects of nutrition on long-term health. He is the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University, and the author of over 300 research papers...
; it also profiles some of the patients whose disease Esslstyn's nutrition plan helped reverse.