Dr. Joel Kahn, America's Healthy Heart Doc, on Reversing Heart Disease with a Plant-Based Diet
Practicing cardiologist Dr. Joel Kahn, known as America's Healthy Heart Doc, has been plant-based since 1977. He breaks down heart anatomy, the widow-maker artery, why erectile dysfunction is often an early warning sign of heart disease, and why the landmark ISCHEMIA trial suggests lifestyle change can rival stents and bypass surgery.
Topics Covered
- Dr. Kahn's decades-long plant-based journey beginning with a college salad bar and cemented by Dr. Dean Ornish's landmark 1990 heart-disease-reversal study
- Heart anatomy explained: the right coronary, circumflex, and left anterior descending ('widow maker') arteries, and how plaque begins forming as early as age 18-22
- Genetics versus lifestyle in heart disease risk, including the underappreciated lipoprotein(a) genetic cholesterol marker
- The connection between erectile dysfunction and heart disease as a multi-year-early warning sign due to smaller penile arteries
- How the 2019 ISCHEMIA trial (5,179 patients) found that lifestyle and medication performed as well as stents or bypass for stable heart disease
- Why saturated fat (cheese, marbled meat, coconut and palm oil) is the primary dietary driver of clogged arteries, more so than dietary cholesterol
- The Ornish and Pritikin cardiac rehab programs, Medicare-approved since 2010, as intensive lifestyle alternatives to surgery
- Critiquing the carnivore diet trend (including a viral Doctors TV segment) and hospital food culture that still serves bacon and fast food to cardiac patients
About the Guest
Dr. Joel Kahn is a practicing cardiologist, clinical professor of medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine, and author known as 'America's Healthy Heart Doc' after his longtime Reader's Digest column. Plant-based since 1977, he has authored multiple books including The Plant-Based Solution and a forthcoming book on lipoprotein(a).
On this episode
The people, places and media this story names, from our Directory. Vote for them, or open their page.
Previous episodeDr. Sailesh Rao of Climate Healers on Animal Agriculture, Climate Change, and Vegan World 2026Episode 28 · Jan 30, 2020Next episodeMastering Diabetes: Cyrus Khambatta and Robby Barbaro on Reversing Insulin Resistance with High-Carb, Low-Fat Vegan EatingEpisode 30 · Feb 13, 2020
Dr. Will Bulsiewicz: The Fiber Fueled CookbookJul 6, 2022Chef Robyn: Corporate Chef of Future Foods (PAOW)Jun 30, 2022Alex Lenghel: Massive Vegan and Making the Ethical ChoiceJun 14, 2022Jeff Palmer of Clean Machine on 35 Years Vegan, Plant-Based B12, and Natural BodybuildingEpisode 27 · Jan 23, 2020Renee and Tommy Sonnen of Rowdy Girl Sanctuary on Converting Cattle Ranchers to Plant-Based FarmingEpisode 26 · Jan 16, 2020The Sustainable Duo Returns: Zero Waste Living, Permaculture, and Vegan Pet CareEpisode 25 · Jan 9, 2020