“It’s Not Just the Years In Your Life…”

“It’s not just the years in your life…”

“Pritikin is an investment in what matters most – a longer life, a better life,” sums up Pritikin’s Medical Director, Ronald Scheib, MD. Before coming to Pritikin, Dr. Scheib served as Chief of Section of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Miami Heart Institute. Health defined by the Pritikin Longevity Center is based on the following values:
”It’s not just the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years.” –Abraham Lincoln

• Natural – A Lifestyle of Good Nutrition, Fitness, and Psychological Well-Being
• Little or No Need For Medications
• Little or No Need For Surgeries
• Sustaining
• Scientifically Valid
• Life-Enhancing

In addition to the values listed above, Pritikin is also a return to common sense – to real food, unprocessed and unadulterated, like fresh whole fruits, fresh vegetables, whole grains, beans, and lean meat like fish and poultry, and to daily physical activity like walking and bicycling. So simple, yet so effective. You’ll lose weight without feeling hungry, and dramatically decrease your risk of epidemic diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Chances are, after a few days at Pritikin, you’ll feel sexier, too. That’s what our guests often tell us. (But we’re not naming names.)

Bottom Line: You’ll soon be wondering 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 three decades in more than 100 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. 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

  A chemical in our bodies called high-sensitivity 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 levels 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, 191: 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% of those taking pills for high blood pressure normalized their blood pressure and no longer required their 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 injections left no longer needed injections. 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 11 pounds for men and 7 pounds for women within three weeks of starting the Pritikin Program. Archives of Internal Medicine, 151: 1389, 1991. In two long-term studies (spanning two to five years), more than 85% of Pritikin followers claimed a 50% or greater adherence to the Pritikin Program, 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 success ever conducted, the National Weight Control Registry, found that the vast majority of its 4,500+ people follow a lifestyle, like Pritikin, that involves daily exercise and an eating plan low in fat and 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: 408, 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

  Instead of coronary bypass surgery recommended by heart surgeons, 64 patients went to Pritikin. A long-term follow-up found that 80% had remained surgery-free, even after five years. Journal of Cardiac Rehabilitation, 3: 183, 1983.

• Relieve Angina Pain

  Among 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 disease. In three weeks, insulin levels fell 46% among people who adopted the Pritikin Program. Circulation, 106: 2530, 2002.

• Alleviate the Metabolic Syndrome

  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.