On June 8, 1971, Rodale died after suffering a fatal heart attack while appearing as a guest on a segment, which was never broadcast, of The Dick Cavett Show.

Rodale was born in Manhattan on August 16, 1898, the son of an Orthodox Jewish grocer who had immigrated from Poland,[1] and raised in the tenements in the Lower East Side.

Due to a poor relationship with his father, whose last name was Cohen (originally Lachofsky), he changed his surname to Rodale as an ode to his mother's maiden name, Rouda.

[4] Rodale was already concerned with his health at this time, as he had heart murmurs and had been rejected from the U.S. Army in World War I for poor eyesight.

[7] It pioneered the return to whole grains, unrefined sweets, using little fat in food preparation, folk cures, herbal medicines and breastfeeding.

[14][15] For example, Rodale accused sugar of "causing criminals," and blamed various diseases including bronchitis and pneumonia on the consumption of bread.

[15] Stephen Barrett of Quackwatch commented that Prevention magazine was filled with "nonsense promoting dietary supplements... many articles contained therapeutic claims that would be illegal on product labels.

"[15] The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America noted that the agricultural establishment "dismissed Rodale as a quack, crank, a gadfly, and a manure-pile worshiper.

", and made quips like "I'm in such good health that I fell down a long flight of stairs yesterday and I laughed all the way" and "I've decided to live to be a hundred".

Cavett initially believed that Rodale was feigning disinterest for comedic effect; some in the studio recalled him joking, "Are we boring you, Mr.

Although an electrocardiogram continued to show cardiac activity, Rodale could not be revived and was pronounced dead on arrival at Roosevelt Hospital, aged 72.

[23] In October 2017, New York City media giant Hearst announced it would acquire the magazine and book businesses of the 90-year-old Rodale Inc. for an undisclosed sum.