FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Release – December 11, 2018
Dan Purjes’ Foundation announces publication of its research study in the Journal of the American Heart Association
(Salt Lake City, Utah) ‐‐ The Purjes Foundation, the charitable foundation established and funded by Dan Purjes and his wife, Edna Purjes, is pleased to announce that the Journal of the American Heart Association, a highly-regarded, peer-reviewed medical journal, has just published a research article of a clinical trial conducted at NYU Langone Medical Center reporting significant benefits from a vegan diet for cardiovascular-diseased patients. The trial was funded by the Purjes Foundation.
In this clinical trial, 100 patients suffering from cardiovascular disease were randomly assigned to one of two diets – to a plant-based, vegan diet, or to the diet recommended by the American Heart Association (“AHA”). The AHA is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. The trial lasted for 8 weeks, during which several blood tests were taken to assess the level of highly-sensitivity C-reactive protein (“CRP”) in the blood. CRP is an important marker of inflammation in the body and is associated with many chronic diseases including heart disease. The trial demonstrated that after only 8 weeks, a vegan diet resulted in a significant 32% lower CRP than the diet recommended by the AHA.
There were other improvements noted in the 8-week trial, such as lower LDL cholesterol and body mass index in the vegan group, but these reductions did not meet the threshold for clinical significance. However, the reduction in CRP was highly significant clinically with a p = .02 statistical result. The research article concludes: “In patients with coronary artery disease on guideline-directed medical therapy, a vegan diet may be considered to lower high-sensitivity C-reactive protein as a risk marker of adverse outcomes. “
The Purjes Foundation had no input into the design or conduct of the study. Its role was strictly relegated to just funding the study. A copy of the research article published in the Journal of the American Heart Association can be found on its website, as well as on the website of the Purjes Foundation. Also available on the Purjes Foundation website is a copy of an article in the Wall Street Journal reporting the results of this trial.
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The Purjes Foundation is a private charitable trust established by Dan and Edna Purjes. Its mission is to improve health of body, mind and soul. It is involved in numerous initiatives that educate people to reverse and prevent chronic diseases through a whole foods, plant-based diet. The Foundation achieves its mission by funding scientific studies, documentary films, clinical trials, medical journals, books and other activities. Over the past 20 years, the Purjes Foundation has donated millions of dollars towards these and other worthwhile causes.
The American Heart Association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. A shared focus on cardiovascular health unites its more than 33 million volunteers and supporters as well as more than 3,400 employees.
Media Contact:
Mary Vitullo
The Purjes Foundation
info@purjesfoundation.org
801-441-7550