Perhaps the most famous clinical trial for cardiovascular research has been going on since 1948 in the town of Framingham, Mass. To date, more than 1,000 papers have been published based on the findings of the Framingham Heart Study, as it has come to be known.

Dr. William Castelli, the cardiologist who established the Framingham Heart Study, coined the term “150 Club,” noting that no one in the study (now in its third generation) with a cholesterol level of under 150 has suffered a heart attack.

I’ve also had patients with coronary artery disease who were on their way to requiring bypass surgery, stenting, or other cardiac procedures stay out of the hospital and get on the road to heart health by dropping their cholesterol to under 150.

Take Rick, who underwent a triple bypass operation 14 years ago. The experience led him to drastically change his lifestyle. He adopted a plant-based diet and exercise plan and has been one of my most disciplined patients. Today, his total cholesterol level is 120, and the three bypass grafts look as clean and new as they did when I put them in.