Lifestyle Intervention vs. Usual Care
Context
The ornish-lifestyle-heart-trial randomized patients with coronary atherosclerosis into an intensive lifestyle modification group versus a usual-care control group.
Dimensions of Comparison
| Dimension | Intensive Lifestyle Intervention | Usual Care |
|---|---|---|
| Diet | very-low-fat-vegetarian-diet (~10% fat) | Standard American Heart Association diet advice |
| Exercise | Moderate aerobic exercise | No structured requirement |
| Stress Management | Yoga, meditation, group support | None |
| Plaque Change | Stenosis decreased (regression) | Stenosis progressed |
| Angina Reduction | 72% decrease in frequency | Minimal change |
| MACE Risk | Significantly lower | 2.47x higher risk ratio |
Verdict
Intensive, multi-component lifestyle-modification can induce measurable plaque-regression and reduce clinical cardiac events compared to standard medical advice alone.