Nathan Pritikin
Nutrionist
Died when: 69 years 176 days (833 months)Star Sign: Virgo
Nathan Pritikin (August 29, 1915 – February 21, 1985) was an American inventor, engineer, nutritionist and longevity researcher.The eldest son born to Jacob and Ester, Pritikin was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he was given a scholarship to the University of Chicago and attended from 1933 to 1935, dropping out because of the Depression and starting his own business Flash Foto.
He became an inventor and a millionaire developing patents for companies such as Honeywell, General Electric and Bendix while living in Chicago.
He later moved the company to Santa Barbara, California in the 1950s.Pritikin retired in 1966 and devoted his attention solely to longevity institute.
After being diagnosed with ischemic posterior wall heart disease in 1957 via an abnormal ECG and stress test combined with elevated cholesterol, he began searching for a treatment.
Based on studies indicating that people in primitive cultures with primarily vegetarian lifestyles had little history of heart disease and western cancers, and medical data available during WW2 detailing rates of disease in various countries he created a low-fat diet that was high in unrefined carbohydrates like vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, small amounts of meat and dairy products along with a moderate aerobic exercise regime.
His dietary and exercise regime is called the Pritikin Diet.Pritikin was diagnosed with leukemia in 1958, and it had been in remission until early 1980s when he began to suffer severe pain and complications from the disease and associated treatments.
Despite this he was fully active until a few weeks before death.He committed suicide at Albany Medical Center on February 21, 1985.
Per a letter to the editor, at autopsy it is claimed that there was a near absence of atherosclerosis (only some fatty streaks), and that the heart's pumping function was completely uncompromised.